Company’s co-chairman quits after email hack

Amy Pascal has resigned from her position as the co-chairman of Sony’s movie studio following the cyber-attack that revealed series of her private emails.

Sony Pictures Entertainment was attacked by hackers in November 2014 who demanded the cancellation of the planned release of a movie The Interview¸ a comedy about a plot North Korean leader Kim Jong-un.

The leaked data included personal information about Sony Pictures employees and their families, e-mails between employees, information about executive salaries at the company, copies of (previously) unreleased Sony films, and other information.

A series of e-mails between Amy Pascal and some other staffs of the production were leaked during the hack.

Among the leaked mails were racially insensitive emails between Pascal and producer Scott Rudin joking that Obama’s favorite films are black-themed movies like Django Unchained and 12 Years a Slave.

In another email, Rudin called Angelina Jolie a “minimally talented spoiled brat” as the two discussed Cleopatra, a movie Jolie was keen to develop.

Pascal later issued an apology for remarks made in the leaked emails.

Sony in a statement revealed that Ms Pascal will start a production company that will launch in May 2015.

"I have spent almost my entire professional life at Sony Pictures and I am energized to be starting this new chapter based at the company I call home," said Ms Pascal in a statement.

Sony will be backing Ms Pascal’s new company for four years and will retain distribution rights.