Sony Pictures names Pascal replacement

Tom Rothman with actress Anne Hathaway

Sony Pictures has named a replacement for Amy Pascal, who stepped down as co-chair following a debilitating cyber attack that revealed her private emails.

Tom Rothman, a Hollywood veteran, will become chair of the film studio.

He spent 18 years at 20th Century Fox and helped bring Titanic and Avatar to the big screen.

Rothman, 60, left Fox in 2012 and has been chairman of TriStar Productions, a joint venture with Sony, since 2013.

The entertainment division of Sony Corp said that Michael Lynton would remain its chief executive and chairman. Mr Rothman will report to him.

Mr Lynton said: "Tom's creativity, strong talent relationships and track record of enduring films and commercial success are unparalleled in this industry."

Ms Pascal, one of the most powerful women in Hollywood, stepped down as co-chair of Sony Pictures earlier this month.

Cyber attack

She was the highest-profile victim of the November cyber attack and reportedly commented on the viewing habits of President Obama in a derogatory manner in an email to producer Scott Rudin.

The attack by a group calling itself the Guardians of Peace prompted Sony to cancel the planned release of the film The Interview. It depicted the fictional assassination of North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un.

Leonardo DiCaprio and Kate Winslet starred in Titanic, one of the films Tom Rothman was involved with at Fox

The group was linked with North Korea and US authorities believe the attack was retaliation for the studio's decision to make The Interview. Ms Pascal had been one of the champions of the film.

She will start a production company backed by Sony in May that will produce new Spider-man movies, among others.

In his TriStar role, Mr Rothman has overseen several anticipated dramas including The Walk by Robert Zemeckis that stars Joseph Gordon-Levitt, and Ang Lee's adaptation of Billy Lynn's Long Halftime Walk, a novel by Ben Fountain about the Iraq war.

Sony said he will remain responsible for the TriStar productions in the neat future.