The hacking attack that crippled Sony and threw its release of "The Interview" into disarray has claimed another victim: Amy Pascal, who will step down from her post as the studio's co-chairman and chair of its motion picture group.



Pascal will officially leave those roles in May, though she is slated to stay on at Sony as a producer. Her replacement is likely to be an existing Sony exec, according to Variety, and top candidates include TriStar Pictures chief Tom Rothman, Sony Pictures Entertainment Motion Picture Group president Doug Belgrad, and Columbia Pictures production president Michael De Luca.



While Pascal has largely been hailed in her role at Sony -- shepherding hits like "Spider-Man," "The Social Network," and "21 Jump Street" -- the scandal surrounding alleged North Korean hackers' release of detailed Sony documents and emails was ultimately too much for the executive to face. Pascal faced universal backlash after a racially-tinged email exchange with producer Scott Rudin speculating about President Barack Obama's movie taste was unveiled.



Despite that embarrassment, Pascal put a positive spin on her exit.



"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," Pascal said in a statement. "I have always wanted to be a producer."



Per Variety, Pascal's four-year production deal will be based at Sony, which will provide funding for all her projects.







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