Dan Lin is set to replace Scott Stuber as film head at Netflix, and Disney is tapping Searchlight co-head David Greenbaum to oversee the studio’s live action films following the departure of Sean Bailey. What can be gleaned from these executive moves? Plus, Kevin Costner wants to make a four-part film saga set in the Old West, and Sony chief Tom Rothman plans to release four films in 2027 surrounding the lives of The Beatles. Will these bold risks pay off? Kim Masters and Matt Belloni investigate.
A leaner Netflix? Following the exit of Scott Stuber, Dan Lin’s role at Netflix might indicate new goals for the streamer. “[Stuber’s] job was to get Netflix into the film business in a major way, throw money at talent, get movies off the ground,” says Belloni. “And I think what Netflix found is that it's very difficult to maintain quality control when you are making that many movies a year. And hopefully, the Dan Lin mandate will be ‘fewer, better, more impactful.’”
Disney goes arthouse? With Searchlight Pictures co-head David Greenbaum set to lead Disney’s live action film department, a change of direction could come to Disney’s live action film slate. “He's got a big arthouse background and has great relationships with arthouse filmmakers, which is a little surprising since the Disney movie label has been kind of like, ‘let's make a live action version of Beauty and the Beast,’” Masters says. “So maybe they're trying to shake things up ahead of their shareholder meeting with the challenge and show, ‘we're making changes and do something different.’”
OK, Boomer? While Costner’s Western saga poses a moderate risk at the box office based on the genre alone, the Sony/Beatles tetralogy could have a higher chance at turning a profit if done properly. “It's like the height of Boomer cinema,” Belloni jokes. “Right now the Boomers are getting their icons on film. But I think that's a little less risky because of how well the musical biopic genre has been doing lately. If you do these things right, and if fans of the artists can go to these movies and expect to hear all the songs they love, these movies can do significant business.”