Dan Lin, the producer behind the Lego movies and the new live-action adaptation of Avatar: The Last Airbender, has been tapped as the new head of film for Netflix, according to sources.
Lin steps into the role vacated by Scott Stuber, who announced in January he would step down in March.
Lin’s name had been in the mix since the early days of the headhunting, along with former Disney executive Sean Bailey and Twilight producer Wyck Godfrey, among a handful of others. Bailey seemed like the choice until he wasn’t, with the Feb. 26 shake-up at Disney resulting in his departure after a 15-year run at the Burbank-based studio.
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Making a deal with Lin was not a slam dunk. Lin remained strongly tied to Rideback, his prolific production company, and Rideback Rise, his equally robust nonprofit endeavor. The two entities proved to be stumbling blocks on previous occasions when he has been in contention for top C-suite positions. In the summer 2022, for example, he was in talks to oversee DC film and TV at Warner Bros., but those talks ultimately fell apart over questions about Rideback.
Under the new deal arrangement, Lin will depart Rideback, leaving his partner Jonathan Eirich and Rideback COO Michael LoFaso as the new co-CEOs of the production company. Lin is due to begin his new job April 1.
Lin already has ties to Netflix. He produced 2017 horror movie Death Note and the 2019 Oscar-nominated drama The Two Popes for the streamer. More importantly, he tackled the difficult and high-profile series adaptation of The Last Airbender, which just became a home run in its first few days, debuting No. 1 in 92 countries. He made Airbender for Bela Bajaria, who ran the TV unit and gained oversight of the film arm in January 2023, when Netflix named her chief content officer.
“While I’ve been approached many times during my past 15 years at Rideback, I could truly never imagine leaving until Bela reached out with this incredible opportunity,” Lin said in a statement provided after THR broke the news of his hiring. “Bela’s vision for the Netflix film division immediately interested me as it aligned so strongly with my own personal and professional values and what we have been building at Rideback. There is such a strong foundation that’s already been established in the film division at Netflix, one I’m excited to take to the next level as we continue growing this creative community to make Netflix the number one home for filmmakers.”
Lin began his career as a junior executive at Warner Bros. in the aughts, where his work included The Departed and 10,000 B.C., before he struck out on his own and founded his own production company. As a producer, his films have grossed more than $5 billion globally, with his credits including the It and Sherlock Holmes films, as well as the Lego movies.
“It’s always been my aspiration at Rideback to make movies with worldwide appeal and universal themes, and there is no better place to do that than at the company with the widest global audience,” Lin additionally stated. “It’s an incredible opportunity that I couldn’t say no to, and as hard as it is to leave Rideback, a company I love, I’m excited now to hand over the reins to the new co-CEO’s Jonathan Eirich and Michael LoFaso who will no doubt take Rideback to levels that even I hadn’t envisioned.”
Stated Bajaria, “Dan’s experience as both an executive and a producer is marked by a consistent ability to draw in exceptional filmmakers. But what really got my attention was his creation of Rideback, a dynamic community for filmmakers, fostering collaborative and creative environments. His visionary approach has led to the establishment of incubators and residencies, propelling the careers of extraordinary talent, as well as a steady slate of blockbuster films. I can’t wait for Dan to infuse Netflix with his innovation and talent.”
Lin enters Netflix in a vastly different landscape than his predecessor. Stuber, who joined the company in 2017, used his talent relations to make the streamer palatable to the Hollywood community. Once he accomplished that, he pushed Netflix to expand into blockbuster movie territory, courting filmmakers such as Zack Snyder, the Russo brothers, Michael Bay and Rawson Marshall Thurber, and starting franchises like Extraction, The Gray Man and Knives Out.
While the company has not publicly stated its film goals, those who are aware of the current thinking say Netflix is scaling back budgets and the number of its original movies.
