Netflix has fired film chief Daniel Lin after only three years on the job, the latest leadership casualty in a company-wide shakeup that includes the biggest layoff in the streamer’s history.
Lin was let go at the start of the weekend and was expected to address his teams Monday, according to IndieWire. It is unclear who will replace him, though rumors have circulated that ousted Warner Bros. film chiefs Mike De Luca and Pam Abdy could be candidates for the role.
The firing comes just a week after Netflix ousted its chief content officer, Bela Bajaria. Peter Rice, a veteran film and TV executive, has already been tapped to take over her position, according to IndieWire.
Netflix is currently in the process of cutting 1,000 jobs companywide, by far the largest layoff in the company’s history.
Industry outlet World of Reel reported that the broader picture at Netflix is grim: engagement grew just 2 percent in the first half of 2026, and the stock has dropped more than 40 percent since the company’s failed bid to acquire Warner Bros.
Brought In to Cut Costs
Lin had been brought in to rein in spending after his predecessor handed out blank-check deals to A-list filmmakers including Martin Scorsese, Joel and Ethan Coen, David Fincher, Alfonso Cuarón, Alejandro Iñárritu, Jane Campion, and Steven Soderbergh.
In his cost-cutting role, Lin clashed with David Fincher over Fincher’s desired reshoots for “The Further Mis-Adventures of Cliff Booth.” He also reportedly butted heads with director Greta Gerwig over his proposed changes to her adaptation of “Narnia: The Magician’s Nephew.”
Netflix is expected to spend roughly a billion dollars combined on the Cliff Booth film and the Narnia project between production and promotion.
