Netflix's Head Of Film Is Leaving, And The Streamer's Movies May Never Be The Same

Earlier this week, news came out that Scott Stuber, who has been the head of Netflix's original film division since 2017, is leaving his coveted position at the streamer to start a new media company. Executives leave their jobs all the time in Hollywood for a whole host of reasons, but this move feels especially notable given the outsized power Netflix has in the industry.

Stuber has greenlit and overseen a majority of Netflix's original movies, ranging in quality from transcendent to terrible. Much has been made of the bloated, excessively expensive action films that have so far failed to start franchises ("Red Notice," "Bright," "The Gray Man," etc.), but Stuber, buoyed by his relatable experience as a working producer, also managed to lure some of the world's best filmmakers to the platform. Martin Scorsese, Alfonso Cuaron, Spike Lee, the Coen Brothers, Noah Baumbach, Jane Campion, and many more made movies there, and audiences are better off because of it. With Stuber now on the way out, what does the future of Netflix's original movie strategy look like?

According to The Wrap, Stuber "routinely clashed with Netflix leadership over how to distribute the company's movies," with him wanting to prioritize theatrical runs, while CEO Ted Sarandos pushed back and limited his ability to achieve the types of theatrical releases Stuber desired. "Stuber wanted more theatrical plays but constantly ran into walls," one source told The Wrap. Stuber knew that top-tier filmmakers didn't want their movies to feel as if they were simply being dropped into a sea of Netflix content, and was able to coax his way into getting limited theatrical releases for some of those high-profile projects.

But now that he's leaving, there are huge questions about Netflix's plans moving forward.

In 2020, 2021, and 2022, Netflix received the most Oscar nominations of any movie studio. Will the streamer continue to place value on prestige projects now that Stuber is leaving, in an attempt to win the Best Picture Oscar? (Remember, they suffered a somewhat embarrassing defeat at the hands of "Coda," as Apple TV+ swung in to become the first streaming service to win Best Picture even though Netflix had poured hundreds of millions of dollars into failed campaigns leading up to that moment.) If they do stay in the prestige game, will Stuber's replacement be able to fight as hard for theatrical releases for their filmmakers and lure the same level of talent as their predecessor? Or will Netflix give up on the prestige route altogether? 

That would be a huge blow to the industry, since many other streamers and studios (especially in the wake of last year's dual strikes, that they themselves exacerbated) are tightening their belts and will not likely be willing to shell out Netflix-level budgets to auteurs. Let's even put the prestige aspect to the side for a moment: Will Netflix be a viable player in major moviemaking without Stuber, or will they be content with churning out mediocre, mid-budget, forgettable, algorithm-dictated chum just to fill space on the release calendar? They're currently sitting on the sidelines in a bidding war for a Ryan Coogler/Michael B. Jordan vampire movie because the filmmakers are insisting it have a theatrical release.

Relationships are everything in Hollywood. It's unclear who Stuber's full-time replacement will be, but that person will inherit one of the most notable positions in the industry, and the streamer's next phase could very well be ushered in by the choices they make. Netflix's original movies may never be the same again.

I touched on this on today's episode of the /Film Daily podcast, which you can listen to below:

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