Greta Gerwig reportedly clashed with Netflix’s former head of film over her upcoming Narnia: The Magician’s Nephew — and according to Variety, the fallout from one bad Zoom call sent shockwaves through the streamer.
Greta Gerwig at Netflix’s Narnia IMAX sneak peek event (Credits: IGN / Kevin Mazur/Getty Images)
In their rundown of why Netflix fired Dan Lin earlier this week, Variety reported that the former film boss had clashed with both Gerwig and Ben Affleck during his tenure. Four sources with knowledge of the matter said Lin and Gerwig had a falling out during a Zoom call about the project earlier this year.
On the virtual meeting — populated by numerous Netflix executives — Lin is said to have been “dismissive” to the director in conversation about the film’s progress. Variety described Lin as “incredibly fair, but at times obtuse in his frankness.”
Word Travelled Fast at Netflix
“Word travelled fast around Netflix that the meeting had gone south,” Variety wrote. Then-chief content officer Bela Bajaria reportedly called Gerwig’s producer Amy Pascal to smooth things over, while Gerwig’s powerful CAA agent Bryan Lourd went directly to Ted Sarandos over the faux pas.
Lin was subsequently “disappeared” from the film, all sources concurred, with his top lieutenant Doug Belgrad stepping in as the primary Netflix executive overseeing the project — until Belgrad himself was laid off last week in the same executive shakeup that claimed Lin’s job.
The Theatrical Question
None of the sources suggested the Gerwig incident led to Lin’s firing, but the tension fits a broader pattern. Not long before his exit, Lin declared in an interview that Netflix “just won’t work with” directors who want theatrical releases: “There is a group of filmmakers who still want theatrical. Those are filmmakers that we’ve accepted we just won’t work with.”
Gerwig — the Barbie director who fought hard for her own theatrical windows — is exactly the kind of filmmaker who chafes against that philosophy. With Belgrad also out, the question now is who steers Narnia: The Magician’s Nephew to the finish line.
Also Read: Netflix Fires Head of Film Dan Lin in Brutal Executive Purge, Gerwig & Narnia Tension Exposed
Source: IGN — read the full story there.
