Don’t worry, if you’ve felt that Netflix’s films have been a bit rubbish for a while, the service’s new head of film thinks similarly.
You might not know him by name, but you probably are familiar with Netflix’s head of film Dan Lin’s work. Lin has produced some big hits like The Lego Movie, the Robert Downey Jr. Sherlock Holmes films, and most recently he was an executive producer on Netflix’s live action Avatar: The Last Airbender. Last month it was announced that he would be joining Netflix as the streaming service’s head of film, and has now started that role this week. And according to The Hollywood Reporter, Lin hasn’t been particularly impressed with the films Netflix has made in the past.
Prior to taking the role, Lin apparently received a call from Netflix’s chief content officer Bela Bajaria. According to THR’s sources, Lin quite bluntly said that he didn’t think its movies were great and that the financials didn’t add up. In turn, Lin was asked to leave Rideback, his production company, to join Netflix – obviously he is now with the company, though he has retained a stake in Rideback. With Lin’s arrival also comes a big change in what Netflix produces, unsurprisingly.
Apparently under Lin’s leadership, Netflix films will be composed mostly of midsized offerings, with a focus on genres like comedies, rom-coms, and family films, which are where it has found its biggest hits. There will still be some bigger movies and projects aimed at garnering awards, though overall it’s sounding like there will be less films coming out of Netflix.
Hopefully that will be better for its slate overall, as titles like Rebel Moon really aren’t very good, and its upcoming sequel doesn’t look like it will be much better. Sorry to those of you looking for a diverse range of films, though – Netflix’s days of pumping money into anything and seeing what sticks truly seem to be over.