Scott Stuber, the film chief at Netflix, is leaving the streaming service in March. He’ll (again) form his own company.
Stuber will stay with the streamer through the middle of March, a person with knowledge of the plan told IndieWire. The former Universal Pictures executive and Bluegrass Films principal has overseen the acquisition, development, or production of Netflix’s biggest movies; the list includes “Red Notice,” “Bird Box,” “Hustle,” “Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery,” “All Quiet on the Western Front,” “Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio,” “The Adam Project,” “The Gray Man,” “The Power of the Dog,” “Don’t Look Up,” “The Irishman,” “Marriage Story,” and “Roma.”
“Seven years ago, Reed and Ted offered me the amazing opportunity to join Netflix and create a new home for original movies,” Stuber said in a statement. “I am proud of what we accomplished and am so grateful to all the filmmakers and talent who trusted us to help tell their stories. Thank you to Ted, Reed, Greg, Bela and the entire team, and I look forward to continuing to work with them in the future.”
“Scott has helped lead the new paradigm of how movies are made, distributed and watched. He attracted unbelievable creative talent to Netflix, making us a premiere film studio,” Netflix co-CEO Ted Sarandos said. “Under his leadership, we’ve become the most nominated studio for three years in a row at the Academy Awards – including eight Best Picture nominations, two Best International Feature Oscars, two Best Documentary Feature Oscars and our first Best Animated Feature Oscar. Scott, thank you for your leadership and friendship and I can’t wait to see what’s next.”
“What Scott has accomplished in seven years is nothing short of amazing. He created a world-class film studio, not only by working with established filmmakers, but also finding and supporting first time creators,” Netflix chief content officer Bela Bajaria said. “He’s been such a trusted partner and friend to me and many others, and I hope to find new ways to continue to work together.”
Stuber founded Bluegrass Films (“Ted,” “Central Intelligence,” and “Safe House”) in 2006. He left to shepherd Netflix into its original films era. We’d say he accomplished the mission.
At Universal, Stuber was responsible for “A Beautiful Mind,” “Seabiscuit,” “Cinderella Man,” “Jarhead,” and “8 Mile,” as well as the “Meet the Parents” films and the “Bourne” and “Fast and the Furious” franchises. More than 20 films that Stuber has supervised have grossed more than $100 million at the U.S. box office.
The news, which broke on Monday afternoon, rocked the Sundance Film Festival; an hour before the Stuber news came out, Netflix announced it had acquired Greg Jardin’s horror film “It’s What’s Inside.” The film’s price tag was $17 million, a person with knowledge of the deal confirmed to IndieWire. An hour after the news came out, Netflix premiered Richard Linklater’s “Hit Man” at the festival.
The development will also likely be felt on Tuesday, when Netflix reports its fourth-quarter and full-year 2023 earnings after the stock market closes. Earlier in the day, the 2024 Oscar nominations will be revealed.
