David Fincher and Netflix Split: Budgets and Beyond
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David Fincher’s split with Netflix is due to a beef with Netflix film chairman Dan Lin, according to a new report from Page Six. The entertainment vertical recently explored the fallout from this week’s significant layoffs at the streaming service, which claimed approximately 1,000 jobs, including Lin’s second-in-command, Doug Belgrad, and followed by the ousting of Netflix chief content officer Bela Bajaria.
While Lin avoided such a public demotion, Page Six suggests his position remains tenuous due to alleged disagreements with top filmmakers, including Greta Gerwig, Ben Affleck, and David Fincher himself.
The report states:
“One knowledgeable source says the A-list director had had enough with Lin’s budgetary shackles.”
Fincher’s exacting standards seemingly clashed with Lin’s frugal approach, a stark contrast to the more generous spending habits of Fincher’s predecessor, Scott Stuber.
Despite this reported rift, Lin’s potential savior might be Netflix CEO Ted Sarandos' pursuit of a Best Picture Oscar for The Further Mis-Adventures Of Cliff Booth, one of Fincher’s three films for the streamer.
Page Six also notes that former Warner Bros. film executives Michael De Luca and Pam Abdy, both involved in projects that flopped at WB, might be contenders to replace Lin should he be let go.
Fincher, whose initial Netflix series House Of Cards established the streamer as a major production player, decided not to renew his exclusive four-year deal in late September. The partnership produced two features: the Herman J. Mankiewicz biopic Mank (2020) and the Michael Fassbender thriller The Killer (2023), with The Further Mis-Adventures Of Cliff Booth set to be his last under the deal when it expires next year.