Netflix said Wednesday that producer Dan Lin would replace Scott Stuber as the streaming company's top film executive.
Stuber was head of Netflix Film for seven years before announcing last month that he was leaving. During his tenure, he brought a group of Oscar-winning filmmakers to Netflix and helped the company usher the rest of the entertainment industry into the streaming era.
Lin, 50, who was once senior vice president of production at Warner Bros., is the founder of Rideback Productions, which was behind Netflix's recent live-action remake of “Avatar: The Last Airbender.” He also produced the Oscar-nominated film “The Two Popes” for the streaming service and produced the “It” and “Lego” film franchises. He will report to Bela Bajaria, Netflix's chief content officer.
“Although I have been contacted many times over my last 15 years at Rideback, I truly could never imagine leaving until Bela offered me this incredible opportunity,” Mr. Lin said in a statement.
Lin's role will likely be very different from the one Stuber played. During Stuber's tenure, budgets were huge and oversight was scarce. Now, Netflix intends to significantly reduce the number of movies it produces each year and place greater emphasis on quality control.
However, the company remains firmly committed to its streaming-first strategy and does not seem willing to pander to filmmakers who want their movies in theaters before they are available to Netflix subscribers.
