Dan Lin out as Netflix film chief days after Bela Bajaria exit

Netflix’s shake-up has reached the movies. Dan Lin, the producer of The Lego Movie who has run Netflix’s film division since April 2024, is out, Variety, The Hollywood Reporter and the Los Angeles Times reported on Monday, 19 October 2026.

Netflix confirmed on Monday that Lin would leave, Reuters reported, but the company has not given a reason. As of 5:30pm WAT on Tuesday, 20 October, GistMatrix could find no public comment from Lin.

It is the third big change at the streamer in about a week, after roughly 1,000 job cuts and the exit of content chief Bela Bajaria. For Nigerian viewers, the question is who now decides which movies land on their Netflix home screen, Nollywood titles included.

Why is Dan Lin out at Netflix?

Netflix has not given a reason. The decision was made over the weekend of 17 and 18 October, according to the trade reports The Playlist cited, days after co-CEO Ted Sarandos told staff he saw a chance to take the slate to the “next level”, particularly in the US and Canada, the Los Angeles Times reported.

Lin’s time in the job was rarely quiet. He arrived with a brief to make “fewer, better and bigger” movies, and his push for tighter budgets irritated some in Hollywood, the LA Times said. In June 2026 he told The New York Times that filmmakers who still want cinema releases were ones Netflix had accepted it would not work with, Variety reported.

What did Dan Lin make at Netflix?

His record mixes hits and misses. KPop Demon Hunters became a hit, Carry-On, Back in Action and Swapped made Netflix’s most-watched lists, and the Ben Affleck and Matt Damon crime thriller The Rip came out on his watch, according to the LA Times.

Two of his biggest bets have not landed yet. David Fincher’s The Further Mis-Adventures of Cliff Booth opens in IMAX cinemas on 25 November and reaches Netflix on 23 December, according to Netflix’s release plan, and Greta Gerwig’s Narnia: The Magician’s Nephew, whose trailer arrived this month, is due next year.

How did we get here?

• 2008: After years as a Warner Bros executive, Lin co-founds the production company Rideback. He goes on to produce The Lego Movie, The Lego Batman Movie and Disney’s live-action Aladdin (Cartoon Brew).
• Early 2024: Netflix names him film chairman in place of Scott Stuber. He starts on 1 April 2024, reporting to Bajaria (Cartoon Brew).
• June 2026: He tells The New York Times that Netflix will not chase directors who insist on cinema releases (Variety).
• Week of 12 October 2026: Netflix cuts about 6% of its staff, roughly 1,000 people (Los Angeles Times).
• Thursday, 15 October 2026: Netflix says Bajaria is leaving and names former Disney TV chairman Peter Rice as chief content officer from 26 October (CNBC, Deadline).
• Monday, 19 October 2026: Lin’s exit is reported, and Netflix confirms he will leave (Reuters).

What does Dan Lin’s exit mean for Nollywood on Netflix?

Nothing changes overnight for Nigerian titles already on the service, but the people who sign off on Netflix’s movies are changing. Until a new film chief is named, Peter Rice will oversee the film team as well as series, the Los Angeles Times reported, so one executive will hold both purses.

The next Nigerian test is already dated. Femi Adebayo’s Jagun Jagun 2 is due on Netflix on Friday, 4 December, its producers have said, and 2026 has brought second seasons of Aníkúlápó and Blood Sisters. Kunle Afolayan said in 2024 that Netflix had cancelled several Nigerian originals, but the company told OkayAfrica that December: “We are not exiting Nigeria.”

What happens next

Peter Rice starts as Netflix’s chief content officer on Monday, 26 October 2026, and he will name the new film chief, The Playlist reported. Jagun Jagun 2 is due on Netflix on 4 December, and Fincher’s The Further Mis-Adventures of Cliff Booth on 23 December, after it opens in IMAX cinemas on 25 November.

FAQ

Who is Dan Lin?
A film producer and former Warner Bros executive who co-founded Rideback and produced The Lego Movie and Disney’s live-action Aladdin. He ran Netflix’s film division from April 2024 until his exit was reported on 19 October 2026.

Who runs Netflix movies now?
Peter Rice, who becomes chief content officer on 26 October 2026, will oversee films until a new film head is named, the Los Angeles Times reported.

Is Jagun Jagun 2 still coming to Netflix?
Its producers have said it lands on Netflix on 4 December 2026. No change to that date had been announced as of 20 October.

Which Netflix movie of the last two years did you actually enjoy? Tell us in the comments.

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