Tom Rothman picked to replace Amy Pascal at Sony

Sony has found a replacement for Amy Pascal at Sony Pictures Entertainment and he comes from within. Still, the decision to name TriStar Productions chief Tom Rothman is a bit of a surprise.

The news was first reported by Variety. Later, Sony released a statement, which was posted at Deadline.

Rothman will take over as Sony Pictures Entertainment Motion Picture Group. Pascal officially stepped down from the job on Feb. 5, although she later said she was “fired.” Her departure followed weeks of turmoil at the studio, as hackers continued to leak her private emails to the public in response to the studio’s decision to release The Interview.

Rothman is a long-time Hollywood executive, who made his own surprising decision in 2012. After co-leading Fox filmed Entertainment for 12 years, he suddenly decided in September 2012 to step down. He wasn’t out of a job for long though, as he was hired to lead Sony’s TriStar label in 2013.

According to Variety, he had two major rivals for Pascal’s old job. Doug Belgrad, Pascal’s No. 2, and Sony President of Production Michael De Luca were both competing for the role.

“Tom has had an extraordinary career and we are thrilled to have him run the Motion Picture Group,” Michael Lynton, SPE Chairman and CEO, said 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.”

Sony also announced that Lynton had his contract renewed. In his role, he oversees all of Sony’s entertainment interests, which also includes Sony Music Entertainment.

Rothman will also continue to oversee TriStar productions.

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