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Netflix slashed roughly 1,000 jobs this week, with the shake-up also claiming Chief Content Officer Bela Bajaria, who had spent a decade at the company, and film division Vice President Doug Belgrad. But Page Six reports that Netflix may not be done cleaning house, with film chairman Dan Lin potentially next on the chopping block.
Lin’s job may be in jeopardy largely because of his increasingly strained relationships with filmmakers. His strategy stands in sharp contrast to that of his predecessor, Scott Stuber, who spent heavily across a wide range of genres and developed close ties with top talent. Lin, meanwhile, has pushed to rein in Netflix’s spending, maintained tight control over production budgets and cut the streamer’s movie output to nearly half of what it was under Stuber.
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Lin’s approach reportedly has not sat well with Ben Affleck, who recently collaborated with Netflix on "The Rip" and "Animals." Affleck’s representative, however, told Page Six that they have enjoyed a strong partnership with Netflix and received tremendous support from the company.
The Affleck report is not the only controversy surrounding Lin. Page Six also claims that David Fincher, who has worked with Netflix since its early days, clashed with the executive while filming "The Further Mis-Adventures of Cliff Booth" and had grown tired of Lin’s budget restrictions. Bloomberg reported late last month that Fincher plans to let his Netflix deal expire next year without renewing it, and his decision may be connected to those tensions with Lin.
Reports also emerged last August that Lin insisted Zack Snyder reduce the budget for an untitled crime-action thriller or Netflix would refuse to finance and greenlight the movie. The project has remained stalled and has yet to begin production.
Page Six concluded its report by naming recently ousted Warner Bros. Pictures chiefs Michael De Luca and Pam Abdy as the leading candidates to replace Lin atop Netflix’s film division. The pair are widely regarded in Hollywood as "talent-friendly executives" with deep relationships across the industry and a willingness to back risky projects. Two examples are "The Bride!" and "Digger," both of which reportedly delivered steep losses for Warner Bros. this year after Lin had previously passed on them.
De Luca and Abdy have reportedly set one condition for Netflix co-CEO Ted Sarandos: Unless the streamer gives its movies longer theatrical windows, high-profile directors will have little interest in working with them at Netflix.
via： Page Six