Mr. Lin left to start his own production companies, which generated a run of high-profile projects including “Aladdin,” “Godzilla vs. Kong,” “It” and “The Two Popes.” He was considered for a job overseeing the DC Comics film empire in 2022, helping to elevate his profile as a major executive when Netflix went looking for someone to succeed Mr. Stuber in 2024.
After joining the streamer, Mr. Lin recalled some advice Mr. Horn had once given him: Always return phone calls, and always tell the truth. In Hollywood, where artifice is standard and egos are fragile, most operators understand that truth is best delivered with finesse. But Mr. Lin takes a straighter approach. “If you talk to anyone in the business, I’m probably the most responsive, most approachable studio chairman there is in town,” he said. “I make my own phone calls. I don’t go through my assistant. You can reach me directly, and you’ll know where I stand.”
Few in Hollywood disagree with that. “He’s a straight shooter,” said Todd Black, the producer behind “Fences” and “Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom,” among other critical and commercial hits. “‘This is the budget number, and you have to figure it out.’ If you can’t figure it out, you go to him. He may help you, or he may not.”
Directors and actors accustomed to Mr. Stuber’s suavity have found Mr. Lin’s style to be a radical change. He’s often described as officious and blunt, and it’s easy to hear stories around town about his awkward bedside manner. It’s harder to get anyone to tell those stories on the record. Mr. Lin directs a staff numbering in the hundreds (including an entire animation studio), and they still greenlight more movies than any other studio by far.
“Listen, I wouldn’t want him to be my doctor if I was having a life-threatening illness,” Liza Chasin, another producer, said. “But I prefer the bluntness. I prefer the honesty, because the BS is exhausting, frankly. I always know where the bar is, because Dan has been clear what the bar is.” The two collaborated on “Ladies First,” a Sacha Baron Cohen comedy that is currently Netflix’s most-watched film, as well as the upcoming titles “The 99’ers” and “The Last Mrs. Parrish.”
