Producer Amy Pascal is reportedly leaving Sony Pictures, having signed a first-look deal with Universal under her Pascal Pictures production company banner.
Pascal has been with Sony for nearly 30 years, serving as chairman of Sony Motion Pictures for a majority of that time. She oversaw the production and distribution of a number of films, including the Spider-Man franchise. Other notable projects include the James Bond films (Casino Royale, Quantum of Solace, and Skyfall), The Da Vinci Code and Angels & Demons, as well as Sony Picture Animation's The Smurfs, Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs, and Hotel Transylvania. She also oversaw Best Picture Oscar nominees American Hustle, Captain Phillips, Zero Dark Thirty, Moneyball, and The Social Network.
Amy Pascal also had to help Sony through some dark times, including the infamous hack into Sony's computer system in 2014 which resulted in the theft and release of internal company documents. This brought to light instances of "racially insensitive" internal exchanges and gender pay gap.
Pascal left her post as the head of the studio, and in June 2015, signed a first-look deal with Sony and Pascal Pictures. Her company made its debut with 2016's Ghostbusters reboot, which was followed by the critically and commercially successful Spider-Man: Homecoming in 2017. Other films Pascal Pictures-produced movies include Molly's Game, The Post, Venom, The Girl in the Spider's Web, and the Oscar-winning animated film Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse. Spider-Man: Far From Home and Little Women, two other Pascal Pictures films, are set to release this year.
"Amy has had one of the most prolific careers of anyone in our industry. I’ve been grateful to work alongside her throughout my career, previously as competition and now as partners. Her expertise, passion and sensibility for great storytelling is evident across each project she touches, and we’re fortunate to benefit from her wealth of industry knowledge and her unparalleled relationships," Universal chairman Donna Langley said in a statement.
Universal president Peter Cramer added, "Amy has a keen eye for projects that have both critical and commercial appeal, which we saw time and time again with the projects that she shepherded at Sony, as well as with the films that she is developing and producing now."
"I can’t imagine anything more thrilling than making movies for Ron Meyer, Donna Langley and Peter Cramer at Universal," said Pascal. "Donna’s vision for the company is inspirational on every level, from the brilliant leadership team she’s assembled to the studio’s diverse selection of movies, to the impressive filmmaking partners who call Universal home."
Spider-Man: Far From Home, the highly anticipated sequel to Spider-Man: Homecoming (which jump-started the Marvel Studios and Sony Pictures initiative championed by Pascal), is due out in theaters July 2, 2019.