Sony Pictures announced that Tom Rothman will be Amy Pascal's replacement as chairman of Sony Picture Entertainment's Motion Picture Group. Rothman is currently the chairman of TriStar Productions and ran Fox Filmed Entertainment from 2000 to 2012.
"Tom has had an extraordinary career and we are thrilled to have him run the Motion Picture Group,” Sony chairman and CEO Michael Lynton said Tuesday in a statement. “Tom’s creativity, strong talent relationships and track record of enduring films and commercial success are unparalleled in this industry and exactly what we are looking for to grow our film business. Having run Fox Filmed Entertainment during a time of great successes and growth for that studio, and then producing at TriStar here at SPE, Tom knows this business inside and out like few others do.”
According to the statement, Rothman will work with Pascal to "ensure a smooth and orderly transition into his new role." Pascal came under fire late last year after her emails were leaked online following a massive security breach at Sony. The correspondences included email chains in which she criticized Angelina Jolie and mocked President Obama's taste in films.
“I am grateful for and humbled by the opportunity to lead the Motion Picture Group,” Rothman said. “I have had the pleasure of working closely with the exceptionally talented teams at SPE for the past year, and I am excited to build on those relationships in this new role. I want to thank Michael and Amy for their support ever since I came to the lot with TriStar. I am thrilled at this rare opportunity to lead the Motion Picture Group at such an exciting and transformative time for the studio.”
The studio announced in early February that Pascal would leave her position to launch a "major new production venture at the studio." In her first interview after her departure, Pascal acknowledged that she was fired. "All the women here are doing incredible things in this world. All I did was get fired," she told Tina Brown at the Women in the World conference.