Netflix’s executive shake-up claimed another big name this week. Dan Lin, the streamer’s head of film since 2024, is out, the company confirmed on Monday, October 19. His exit comes just days after Netflix cut about 6% of its workforce and replaced its chief content officer, Bela Bajaria.

For anyone who watches Netflix movies, the change matters: Lin was the person deciding which films got made. Here’s what happened, and what could come next.

What happened

According to the Los Angeles Times, Lin was told about his departure late last week, and many people in the industry had expected him to be next after Bajaria was pushed out. Variety reported that Lin was let go at the start of the weekend and was set to address his teams on Monday.

Peter Rice, the former Walt Disney Television chairman whom Netflix recently hired to replace Bajaria, will oversee the film team until a new film head is named, per the LA Times.

Netflix co-CEO Ted Sarandos praised Lin on his way out. “Once he joined Netflix, I saw up close how his dedication to quality filmmaking, rigor around dealmaking and strategy, and collaborative spirit elevated our film business,” Sarandos said in a statement.

Lin was gracious too. “It’s been a great privilege to lead this incredible team and work with amazing filmmakers and talent to bring their movies to the world,” he said.

Lin’s mixed record

Lin arrived at Netflix in early 2024 after building Rideback, the production company behind the Lego movie franchise and Stephen King’s It adaptations. He replaced longtime film boss Scott Stuber with a mandate, as the LA Times put it, to make “fewer, better and bigger movies.”

The results were mixed. On the plus side, his tenure delivered the Oscar-winning animated smash KPop Demon Hunters and The Rip, starring Matt Damon and Ben Affleck, and kept Netflix in the awards race with titles like Emilia Pérez and Train Dreams. On the other side, the LA Times pointed to costly misfires such as The Electric State.

Analysts have also raised concerns about Netflix’s recent film slate. Brandon Katz of Greenlight Analytics told the LA Times that Netflix’s top five English-language summer movies this year, measured over their first eight weeks, averaged fewer hours watched than the top summer releases of the previous three years, citing Nielsen data.

Part of a much bigger shake-up

Lin’s exit is the latest move in a broad restructuring at the streamer. Variety reported that roughly 1,000 employees were let go in last week’s layoffs, including Lin’s right-hand executive Doug Belgrad and the film division’s indie head, Sheroum Kim.

The pressure is coming from investors. According to the LA Times, hours watched on Netflix grew only 2% in the first half of 2026 compared with a year earlier, even after the company raised its content budget 11% to $20 billion. Netflix stock has fallen about 40% from a year ago.

Netflix is scheduled to report third-quarter earnings on Tuesday, October 20, and executives are expected to explain how they plan to move forward.

Who could replace him

Netflix hasn’t named a successor yet, but Variety says an announcement is expected in the coming days. Mike De Luca and Pam Abdy, the former heads of Warner Bros.’ motion picture group, have been widely speculated to be in talks with the streamer about a possible role, according to Variety.

What it means for your watchlist

The good news for viewers is that the big movies already in the pipeline aren’t going anywhere. The LA Times noted that Netflix has several highly anticipated theatrical releases coming in the months ahead, including David Fincher’s The Further Mis-Adventures of Cliff Booth, starring Brad Pitt, and Greta Gerwig’s Narnia: The Magician’s Nephew. The Spanish-language film La Bola Negra is also expected to generate awards buzz.

The bigger question is what kind of movies Netflix greenlights next, and whether a new film chief will push for more volume, more theatrical releases, or something else entirely.

The takeaway

Dan Lin’s departure caps a turbulent stretch for Netflix, which is reshaping its leadership just as its growth is under the microscope. With Peter Rice now overseeing content and, for the moment, film, and earnings on deck, the next few weeks could reveal a lot about the future of movies at Netflix.

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