Netflix's head of film is leaving
Scott Stuber, who brought Oscar-winning filmmakers such as Martin Scorsese, Spike Lee, Jane Campion and Alfonso Cuarón to Netflix and helped usher the entertainment industry into the streaming era, is leaving as the service's film chairman, the company said. Monday.
News of Mr. Stuber's departure came on the eve of the Oscar nominations. During his tenure, which began in 2017, Netflix has nominated eight films for best picture, though a win in that category has proven elusive.
“Scott has helped lead the new paradigm of how movies are made, distributed and viewed,” Netflix co-CEO Ted Sarandos said in a statement. “He attracted incredible creative talent to Netflix, helping us become a premier film studio.”
While Mr. Stuber's slate of films helped substantially expand Netflix's business, he often clashed with Mr. Sarandos over strategy. Mr. Stuber often tried to appease filmmakers by pushing for wider theatrical releases than Mr. Sarandos was willing to undertake.
Still, Netflix received the most Oscar nominations of any studio in 2020, 2021 and 2022. In addition to critical hits like Mr. Scorsese, 'The Power of the Dog' by Ms. Campion and 'Roma' by Mr. Cuarón Mr. Stuber's tenure produced such popular hits as “Red Notice,” “Bird Box” and “Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery.”
He bet big on filmmakers he wanted to lure to the studio, spending $450 million to land two sequels to Rian Johnson's 'Knives Out' and more than $160 million for Zack Snyder's recent release, 'Rebel Moon' . Greta Gerwig, who directed and co-wrote the blockbuster “Barbie,” is also working with Netflix to adapt two films based on the “Chronicles of Narnia” book series.
“Maestro,” a biopic about composer Leonard Bernstein that Bradley Cooper wrote, directed and stars in, is among the Netflix films expected to earn several Oscar nominations this year. (Netflix also reports fourth-quarter results on Tuesday.)
Netflix was sometimes criticized for prioritizing quantity over quality in its film strategy, a knock that Mr. Stuber acknowledged.
“I think one of the fair criticisms is that we're making too much and not enough is great,” he said in a 2021 interview, adding, “I think we want to refine and make something less better and more awesome . .”
In a statement on Monday, Mr. Stuber thanked Mr. Sarandos and Reed Hastings, co-founder and executive chairman of Netflix, for “the exciting opportunity to join Netflix and create a new home for original films.”
“I am proud of what we have accomplished,” he said, “and I am so grateful to all the filmmakers and talent who trusted us to help tell their stories.”
Mr. Stuber will leave in March and start his own media company. Bela Bajaria, Netflix's chief content officer, will take over Mr. Stuber's duties when he leaves. Last year, she effectively became Mr. Stuber's boss, putting a layer of management between him and Mr. Sarandos.