Dan Lin will replace Scott Stuber as head of Netflix films

Dan Lin

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Dan Lin, the producer behind Puzzle Games Movies and new live-action adaptation avatar: The Last Airbender, He has been tapped as Netflix’s new head of film, according to sources.

Lane takes over the position vacated by Scott Stuber, who announced last January that he would step down in March.

Lin’s name has been in the mix since the early headhunting days, along with former Disney executive Sean Bailey and twilight Producer Wick Godfrey, among a handful of others. Billy seemed like the perfect choice until he disappeared, as a Feb. 26 shakeup at Disney led to his departure after 15 years at the Burbank-based studio.

Making a deal with Lin wasn’t a slam dunk. Lane remains closely associated with Rideback, his prolific production company, and Rideback Rise, his equally powerful non-profit endeavor. The two entities have proven to be a stumbling block on previous occasions when he was vying for top positions in the executive management. In the summer of 2022, for example, he was in talks to oversee DC films and TV at Warner Bros., but those talks ultimately fell apart over questions about Rideback.

Under the new deal arrangements, Lin will depart Rideback, leaving partner Jonathan Eirich and Rideback COO Michael LoFaso as the new co-CEOs of the production company. Lin is scheduled to start his new job on April 1.

Lin already has ties to Netflix. He produced a horror film in 2017 Death note The 2019 Oscar-nominated drama Popes For the washer. Most importantly, he handled the difficult and sublime adaptation of the series The last air, which became a huge hit on home soil in its first few days, debuting at number one in 92 countries. It was made Airbender For Bela Bajaria, who ran the TV unit and gained oversight of the film division in January 2023, when Netflix named chief content officer.

“Although I’ve been approached many times over my past 15 years at Rideback, I truly couldn’t imagine leaving until Bela reached out to me with this incredible opportunity,” Lane said in a statement provided after THR broke the news of his hiring. “Bela’s vision for Netflix Films immediately interested me because it aligned so strongly with my personal and professional values ​​and what we were building at Rideback. There’s a strong foundation already built in Netflix’s Films division, and I’m excited to take it to the next level as we continue to grow this creative community to make Netflix The first home for filmmakers.

Lin began his career as a junior executive at Warner Bros. Television. In the eighties, his works included The late one And 10,000 BCBefore he became self-reliant and established his own production company. As a producer, his films have grossed more than $5 billion globally, including his credits He. She And Sherlock Holmes Movies as well Puzzle Games films.

Lin also stated, “It has always been my ambition at Rideback to make films with global appeal and universal themes, and there is no better place to do that than with the company with the largest global audience.” “It’s an incredible opportunity that I couldn’t say no to, and as difficult as it is to leave Rideback, a company I love, I’m excited to now hand the reins over to our new Co-CEOs Jonathan Irish and Michael Lofaso. He will undoubtedly take Rideback to levels I never even imagined.”

“Dan’s experience as an executive and producer has been characterized by a consistent ability to attract exceptional filmmakers,” Bajaria said. “But what really caught my attention was his creation of Rideback, a dynamic community of filmmakers that fosters collaborative and creative environments. His visionary approach has led to the creation of incubators and residencies, and propelled the “Extraordinary talent, plus a steady slate of blockbuster films. I can’t wait for Dan to bring his creativity and talent to Netflix.”

Lin enters Netflix in a very different landscape than his predecessor. Stober, who joined the company in 2017, used his talented connections to make the streamer palatable to the Hollywood community. Once he accomplished that, he pushed Netflix to expand into blockbuster films, courting filmmakers like Zack Snyder, the Russo Brothers, Michael Bay, and Rawson Marshall Thurber, and starting franchises like extraction, Gray man And Take out the knives.

Although the company has not publicly announced its cinematic goals, those aware of current thinking say Netflix is ​​trimming budgets and the number of its original films.