Dan Lin has been appointed as Netflix’s new head of film.
He’ll replace Scott Stuber, who previously announced he’d be stepping down from the streaming behemoth in March. Lin’s name had been in the mix — along with recently departed Disney executive Sean Bailey, former Universal chief Stacey Snider and others — since the top film job opened in January.
Lin is best known for producing the“Lego” film franchise, director Andy Muschietti’s adaptation of Stephen King’s horror novel “It,” and Disney’s “Aladdin” remake through his production company Rideback. He and Netflix previously worked together on “The Two Popes”and the live-action“Avatar: The Last Airbender” series. He will begin on April 1 and report to Bela Bajaria, Netflix’s chief content officer.
Prior to founding Rideback, Lin worked at Warner Bros. as as senior VP of production. During his eight-year tenure at the studio, from 1999 to 2007, he oversaw the development and production of major motion pictures such as Martin Scorsese’s “The Departed.” Last summer, he was in the ring to oversee DC Studios for Warner Bros. (before James Gunn and Peter Safran landed the gig). But those talks fell through because he wasn’t ready to part ways with Rideback.
With the new job, however, he’s leaving the company and handing the reins of Rideback to the new co-CEOs, Jonathan Eirich and Michael LoFaso.
“While I’ve been approached many times during my past 15 years at Rideback, I could truly never imagine leaving until Bela reached out with this incredible opportunity,” Lin said in a statement. “It’s always been my aspiration at Rideback to make movies with worldwide appeal and universal themes, and there is no better place to do that than at the company with the widest global audience.It’s an incredible opportunity that I couldn’t say no to.”
Lin’s hiring fills one of the most influential jobs in movies. It’s not clear how he plans to shake up Netflix’s film strategy, which has newly shifted away from being a volume business. Unlike Stuber’s early days at the streamer, the executive’s final stretch was largely defined by a desire to focus on quality over quantity. Will Lin’s priority be to finally land that elusive best picture Oscar? Or is he more interested in making popcorn fare for general audiences, like he did at Rideback?
“Dan’s experience as both an executive and a producer is marked by a consistent ability to draw in exceptional filmmakers,” Bajaria said. “But what really got my attention was his creation of Rideback, a dynamic community for filmmakers, fostering collaborative and creative environments. His visionary approach has led to the establishment of incubators and residencies, propelling the careers of extraordinary talent, as well as a steady slate of blockbuster films.”
