{"id":846816,"date":"2026-06-05T19:30:15","date_gmt":"2026-06-05T19:30:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/846816\/"},"modified":"2026-06-05T19:30:15","modified_gmt":"2026-06-05T19:30:15","slug":"netflix-film-chief-streamer-wont-work-with-directors-who-want-theatrical","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/846816\/","title":{"rendered":"Netflix Film Chief: Streamer Won’t Work With Directors Who Want Theatrical"},"content":{"rendered":"

\n\tNetflix<\/a> has been making overtures to movie theaters ever since it launched its bid to buy Warner Bros. Even after that deal collapsed, Netflix has signaled its openness to working with cinemas by deciding to give Greta Gerwig\u2019s \u201cNarnia: The Magician\u2019s Nephew\u201d a full theatrical release. It\u2019s all part of an effort by Ted Sarandos, Netflix\u2019s co-CEO, to signal that the streaming giant is not the enemy.<\/p>\n

\n\tBut Dan Lin<\/a>, chairman of Netflix\u2019s film division, didn\u2019t deliver the same message during a recent sit-down with the New York Times<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cThere is a group of filmmakers who still want theatrical. Those are filmmakers that we\u2019ve accepted we just won\u2019t work with,\u201d Lin told the paper with what the article describes as his \u201ctrademark bluntness.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tThat\u2019s in contrast to Lin\u2019s predecessor in the job, Scott Stuber, who sometimes clashed with Sarandos over his struggles to give Netflix movies from major auteurs like Guillermo del Toro (\u201cFrankenstein\u201d) and Alfonso Cuaron (\u201cRoma\u201d) more robust theatrical releases beyond just an awards qualifying run. And Stuber never gave up on trying to land cinema purists like Christopher Nolan.<\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cIf and when he comes up with his new movie, it\u2019s about can we be a home for it and what would we need to do to make that happen,\u201d Stuber told Variety in 2021<\/a>. \u201cHe\u2019s an incredible filmmaker. I\u2019m going to do everything I can.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tStuber is known for his charm and his strong ties to the creative community. Lin is a brilliant producer, whose list of hits includes \u201cThe LEGO Movie\u201d and \u201cSherlock Holmes.\u201d He has a different style, however, one that\u2019s less interested in observing Hollywood niceties, which the Times article highlights.<\/p>\n

\n\tThe story includes a telling anecdote in which Lin deflects Sally Field\u2019s push to debut \u201cRemarkably Bright Creatures\u201d in the fall so it could have a better chance at earning Oscar nominations. \u201cMr. Lin argued that it was a family drama, and the right date was just before Mother\u2019s Day,\u201d the article states. \u201cThe movie has remained in the streamer\u2019s Top 10 for the past month.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tLin admits that his directness can rub talent the wrong way. <\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cOne mistake I made when I first joined the company,\u201d Lin told the Times, \u201cwas that filmmakers always said to me, \u2018Please tell me the truth.\u2019 And when I told them the truth, they might not have wanted to hear it. So now I\u2019m learning how to better read people. And if someone tells me they want to hear the truth, I tell it in a way that can be as productive as possible.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tDespite Lin\u2019s comments, Netflix is still offering theatrical releases to select films, including David Fincher\u2019s \u201cThe Adventures of Cliff Booth<\/a>,\u201d which will screen in Imax when it opens in December. But for exhibitors who were hoping that Netflix might be getting more interested in their business, Lin\u2019s remarks make it clear that it\u2019s still all about streaming. <\/p>\n

\n\tA spokesperson for Netflix declined to comment on or clarify Lin\u2019s remarks to the Times. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Netflix has been making overtures to movie theaters ever since it launched its bid to buy Warner Bros.…\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":846817,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":"","_share_on_mastodon":"0"},"categories":[9],"tags":[281630,171,4659,87958,67,132,68],"class_list":["post-846816","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-entertainment","tag-dan-lin","tag-entertainment","tag-netflix","tag-the-adventures-of-cliff-booth","tag-united-states","tag-unitedstates","tag-us"],"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@us\/116699164125710127","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/846816","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=846816"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/846816\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/846817"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=846816"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=846816"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=846816"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}