Movies | July 10, 2017 1:47 pm

Amy Pascal, Ousted Sony Head, Finds Second Act With ‘Spider-Man: Homecoming’

After cyber hack drove her from studio, exec finds renewed success as producer.

Honoree Amy Pascal, Co-chairman, Sony Pictures Entertainment speaks at 'An Evening' benefiting The LA Gay & Lesbian Center at the Beverly Wilshire Hotel on March 21, 2013 in Beverly Hills, California. (Kevin Winter/Getty Images)

By Will Levith

Former Sony Pictures head Amy Pascal found out the hard way what a North Korea cyberattack could do to her reputation. The content of her private emails, many of which were exposed, helped lead to her ouster from the studio.

But as The New York Times reports, against all odds, Pascal has been able to rebound and start anew in a male-dominated industry. She launched her own production house, Pascal Pictures, delivering a trio of new movies to three separate studios in 2017. She also has a number of other projects in the works.

Pascal was also one of the main reasons Spider-Man: Homecoming got made (it’s currently ruling the box office); is helping bring Aaron Sorkin’s (film) directorial debut, Molly’s Game, to theaters; and will be producing Steven Spielberg’s The Papers.

But as the Times notes, swapping roles from studio head to producer isn’t always an easy transition.

“Producing requires hustle in a way that running a studio does not….The best producers put their own egos aside and let others shine. Climbing corporate rungs usually requires the opposite tactic,” notes the newspaper.

Says Pascal of the transition: “Starting over again means you have to shut up and listen.”