Netflix Fires Film Chief Dan Lin Amid Reported Clash With Greta Gerwig Over “Narnia: The Magician’s Nephew”

The push to cut costs also led to disputes with other directors, including Ben Affleck and David Fincher.

Netflix has fired film chief Dan Lin. According to Variety, he strained relationships with several prominent directors during his tenure, including Greta Gerwig, Ben Affleck and David Fincher.

One of the most serious conflicts involved Narnia: The Magician’s Nephew. Variety reports that during a video call, Lin reacted dismissively when Greta Gerwig described how production was going. Netflix content chief Bela Bajaria and the director’s agent, Brian Lourd, had to smooth things over, and Lourd went directly to company co-CEO Ted Sarandos. Lin was ultimately removed from the film.

The dispute with David Fincher centered on additional photography for The Adventures of Cliff Booth. The director expected extensive reshoots, but Lin approved only a few days. Variety’s sources link this conflict to Fincher’s later decision not to renew his exclusive deal with Netflix. There are also reports of disagreements with Ben Affleck during work on the thriller Animals, though the details are not yet known.

Lin took over Netflix’s film division in 2024 with a mandate to reduce production costs. Deadline notes that he was carrying out management’s instructions, but his hard-nosed approach strained relationships with filmmakers. Netflix does not officially link Lin’s dismissal to these conflicts. His exit comes amid broad layoffs that will affect about 1,000 employees.

Publicly, Ted Sarandos thanked Lin for his work and singled out his collaborative spirit: