Netflix fired head of film division amid conflict with director of "The Chronicles of Narnia: The Magician's Nephew"

Attempts to cut costs were accompanied by disagreements with other directors, including Ben Affleck and David Fincher.

Netflix has fired Dan Lin, head of its film division, who, according to Variety, managed to sour relationships with several prominent directors during his tenure, including Greta Gerwig, Ben Affleck, and David Fincher.

One of the most serious conflicts arose around the film "The Chronicles of Narnia: The Magician's Nephew." According to Variety, during a video call, Lin reacted dismissively to Greta Gerwig's update on the production progress. The situation had to be smoothed over by Netflix's head of content, Bela Bajaria, and the director's agent, Bryan Lourd, who appealed directly to co-CEO Ted Sarandos. Ultimately, Lin was removed from working on the film.

Disagreements with David Fincher arose over additional filming for "The New Adventures of Cliff Booth." The director was hoping for extensive reshoots, but Lin only approved a few days. Variety sources link this conflict to Fincher's subsequent decision not to renew his exclusive contract with Netflix. Additionally, there are reports of disagreements with Ben Affleck during the production of the thriller "Animals," although the details are not yet known.

Lin took over Netflix's film division in 2024 with the task of cutting film production costs. As Deadline notes, he was following management's directive, but his tough approach complicated relationships with filmmakers. Officially, Netflix does not link Lin's dismissal to the conflicts: his departure comes amid large-scale layoffs that will affect about a thousand employees.

Publicly, Ted Sarandos thanked Lin for his work and even specifically noted his willingness to collaborate: