MUMBAI: After “firing” Amy Pascal in the wake of the email hack scandal, Sony Pictures Entertainment has now brought on board Thomas E. Rothman as chairman of its motion picture group.
Sony Entertainment chairman and CEO Michael Lynton’s contract has also been extended. Lynton will continue to oversee Sony’s global entertainment businesses, which include Sony Music Entertainment, Sony/ATV Music Publishing and SPE.
As chairman of the Motion Picture Group, Rothman will oversee all of Sony’s movie activities worldwide and will report to Lynton. He will also work with Pascal to “ensure a smooth and orderly transition.” Pascal is now an independent producer at the studio.
Rothman is currently chairman of SPE’s TriStar Productions. He will continue to oversee TriStar and its slate of films for the near term, which includes Ricki and the Flash, Billy Lynn, Money Monster and The Walk.
“Tom has had an extraordinary career and we are thrilled to have him run the Motion Picture Group. 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,” said Lynton.
“I am grateful for and humbled by the opportunity to lead the Motion Picture Group. 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,” Rothman added.
Rothman previously co-led Fox Filmed Entertainment from 2000 to 2012 and founded that studio’s Fox Searchlight unit and headed worldwide production for the Samuel Goldwyn Company from 1989 to 1994. He also worked at Columbia Pictures from 1987 to 1989.
