Tom Rothman, the former Fox Filmed Entertainment chief, has landed the top job at Sony and is tasked with revitalizing the studio following the recent hacking scandal and reigniting key franchises including Ghostbusters and Spider-Man. 

Tom RothmanTom Rothman is now the head honcho at Sony Pictures

Rothman has pedigree when it comes to attracting key A-list talent and he's working with the likes of George Clooney, Ang Lee and Jodie Foster. This was regarded as a key reason for his hiring.

"Every studio needs franchises," Rothman told Variety. "That was the case when we took over at Fox and that took time to build it up and it will take time here. It's very important but it's equally important to have a diverse slate of films that perform profitably."

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Rothman, 60, has actually been working at Sony for months now, having taken over the studio's TriStar Pictures label in 2013. 

"I've had the benefit of working here for a year," Rothman said. "I know the people very well and I like them very much."

Rothman has been busy readying films including The Walk - Robert Zemeckis' look at the World Trade Center tightrope walker Phillipe Petit and Money Monster, a financial thriller with Clooney and Julia Roberts. However, his priority will be effectively launching Paul Feig's new Ghostbusters franchise as well as figuring out how to sell Andrew Garfield's Spider-Man character that hasn't quite chimed with audiences in The Amazing Spider-Man 1 and 2. 

"I love a challenge and I think there's a fabulous base in place here," he said. "This is a really good company with great potential."

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