Scott Stuber
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Scott Stuber, who pushed Netflix to expand into blockbuster films, is stepping down from his top film job at the streaming service to start his own media company.
Stuber will remain with the streamer until March, when Netflix CCO Bela Bajaria will temporarily take over his role while she searches for a replacement. Bloomberg first reported the news.
Under Stuber's leadership, Netflix's feature film business aggressively moved into the blockbuster space, courting filmmakers such as Zack Snyder, the Russo brothers, Michael Bay and Rawson Marshall Thurber. The era began with the Will Smith-starrer Bright, the 2017 film that reportedly had a budget of $90 million, a sizable number that caused a stir at the time, but compared to what should come, would soon look rustic.
Red Notice, starring Dwayne Johnson, Ryan Reynolds and Gal Gadot, cost somewhere between $250 million and $300 million, while Russo's Gray Man cost around $200 million. Netflix also spent $469 million on two sequels to Rian Johnson's Knives Out, while Snyder was given a budget of $165 million (and probably more) for his two-part Rebel Moon films.
Although the budgets were high and Netflix's self-reported numbers classified them as hits, many of the films were lambasted by critics.
Other films made under his tenure were critical successes and became awards contenders, including Jane Campion's The Power of the Dog, Martin Scorsese's The Irishman and Noah Baumbach's Marriage Story. In 2020, 2021 and 2022, Netflix was the most nominated studio at the Oscars.
In a statement, Stuber thanked Netflix Chairman Reed Hastings, co-CEOs Ted Sarandos and Greg Peters, and Bajaria.
“Seven years ago, Reed and Ted offered me a great opportunity to join Netflix and create a new home for original films,” said Stuber. “I am proud of what we have achieved and am very grateful to all the filmmakers and talent who have trusted us to tell their stories. Thank you to Ted, Reed, Greg, Bela and the entire team and I look forward to working with them in the future.”
At the end of 2021, Netflix announced “a new film every week” with around 70 features. This announcement came as the company looked to expand its own original library while other studios launched their respective streamers. In the following years, the streamer has backed away from the original film (although production is still prolific).
Sarandos said in a statement that Stuber “has helped lead the new paradigm for how films are made, distributed and viewed.”
“He has brought incredible creative talent to Netflix and made us a premier film studio,” he continued. “Under his leadership, we have become the most nominated studio at the Academy Awards three years in a row – eight nominations for Best Picture, two Oscars for Best International Feature, two Oscars for Best Documentary and our first Oscar for Best Animated Feature . Scott, thank you for your guidance and friendship and I can’t wait to see what comes next.”
Bajaria added: “What Scott has achieved in seven years is nothing short of amazing. He created a world-class film studio by not only working with established filmmakers but also finding and supporting new filmmakers. He has been such a trusted partner and friend to me and many others, and I hope we can find new ways to continue working together.”
There have been rumors about Stuber's departure for a long time; The manager is known to have been annoyed by the company's restrictions on theatrical releases, as well as the sometimes enormous production. And it comes after a larger, longer series of exits in the streamer's film division.
Less than a year ago, Lisa Nishimura, Netflix's vice president of independent film and documentaries, abruptly left the company. Nishimura helmed the documentary and helped the streamer win its first Oscars, while on the narrative side she oversaw Netflix's efforts across everything from filmmaker-driven features (Power of the Dog) to teen and romantic comedy entries (A Christmas Prince). Ian Bricke, vice president of original film, also left the company at the time and was known for furthering Netflix's dominance in romantic comedy, with executives helming projects such as “To All the Boys I've Loved Before” and the ” Kissing Booth” films used. At that time, all live-action films were made under Kira Goldberg, Ori Marmur and Niija Kuykendall.
Stuber took over as head of global features for Netflix in 2017. At that time, the long-time Universal manager left his label Bluegrass Films, which he had founded with his partner Dylan Clark. During his time at Universal, he worked on projects such as Best Picture winner A Beautiful Mind, Meet the Parents, the Bourne franchise and the Fast & Furious franchise.
— Borys Kit contributed to this report.