Homecoming Tom Rothman Becomes New Sony Honcho

[Tymminator]

Essentially Rothman got the gig because Sony is hemorrhaging money and that's one thing he's sure to put a stop to.

Marvel would not have put themselves in a position for this man to damage their brand, however. So on that score I would not worry.

I would not expect much out of non-Marvel involved Spider-Man projects. I already expected Sinister Six and the other to get the kibosh, now I am certain of it.

Yup.


If Rothman tried something too stupid, Feige will simply walk away.

Disney/Marvel Studios are not the ones who desperately need a hit right now and are bleeding billions of of dollars for several years straight.

Rothman is indeed a pretty good bully, but you can't throw your weight around when you are not in a real position of power.

Rothman is in a strong position inside Sony yes, but he doesn't have any kind of status within Disney or Marvel Studios.

If he gets out of hat then Disney/Marvel Studios will walk, and then Rothman will have to deal with Japan.

 

[Spider2099]

Wouldn't it be funny if Rothman got fired from Sony? Getting pushed out from two different studios has to hurt.

 

[warhorse78]

Yup.


If Rothman tried something too stupid, Feige will simply walk away.

Disney/Marvel Studios are not the ones who desperately need a hit right now and are bleeding billions of of dollars for several years straight.

Rothman is indeed a pretty good bully, but you can't throw your weight around when you are not in a real position of power.

Rothman is in a strong position inside Sony yes, but he doesn't have any kind of status within Disney or Marvel Studios.

If he gets out of hat then Disney/Marvel Studios will walk, and then Rothman will have to deal with Japan.

My question is, how do we not know he isn't using Sony as a stepping stone to try and sweet talk his way as a person of power at Disney? This is what I am worried about. I'm almost certain it won't happen, but who knows what crap he has on people to use it as blackmail (it's the only thing i can think of how he stayed into power for so long.)

 

[Keyser Soze]

Just catching up on this latest development now, and this is bad news. I'm not exactly intimately familiar with producers and studio heads, but there's one name I do know: Tom Rothman. I know that name to the point where as soon as I saw him linked to Sony I instantly said, "Oh no."

A big part of why Marvel and Fox remain at such odds is because of Rothman. A big part of why Fox has the reputation as "The studio that makes awful superhero films" is because of Rothman, to the point where his stink clings to the studio and puts a downer on everything they produce even after a few years of being on an upward swing with their film franchises and superhero properties. He is about the closest thing to an arch-villain of superhero cinema I can think of, and just about the worst person I can imagine being in the mix to ensure a harmonious Marvel/Sony relationship.

Here's what you need to know about Tom Rothman. His defining traits, which he's most known for, are 1. His massive ego that demands him to swing his dick around on films and micro-manage to show how invaluable to their success he is, and 2. His extreme pettiness, to the point where he will actually hurt his own films if it means getting payback on a grudge or an imagined slight. This is NOT the guy who you want on the Sony side when it comes to navigating delicate negotiations between Sony and Marvel Studios about Spider-Man's MCU appearances.

Remember the nightmare scenario we talked about, where people were saying, "What if Sony uses Civil War or whatever as free advertising for their 2017 Spider-Man solo reboot, then screws over Marvel Studios by then never letting Spider-Man appear in any other films once they've been given the MCU boost?" And remember how most of us dismissed that by saying, "That would be totally counter-intuitive long-term for Sony and would require an imbecile level of belligerence and vindictiveness?" Well...

 

[Spider2099]

Well getting people to worry about that isn't going to change anything and that's not going to help.

Sony would more than likely pull out of the deal (if at all) after Spider-Man makes an appearance in Avengers 3. THAT would be free advertising if anything.

 

[Keyser Soze]

Well getting people to worry about that isn't going to change anything and that's not going to help.

Sony would more than likely pull out of the deal (if at all) after Spider-Man makes an appearance in Avengers 3. THAT would be free advertising if anything.

Rationally speaking, you might think so. But we're talking of a guy who's left long-term cash on the table in the name of a good satisfying short-term middle finger to show he's the Top Dog.

 

[Spider2099]

The decision to pull out of the deal isn't up to him.

 

[Daedalus]

The decision to pull out of the deal isn't up to him.

That is very true, but he is still able to sour things between Sony and Marvel, besides meddling in the solo movies.

That being said, I believe Lynton values this deal much more than he values Rothman`s presence. If the time comes to choose one of them, he`ll let Rothman go in no time.

 

[Whiskey Tango]

Just catching up on this latest development now, and this is bad news. I'm not exactly intimately familiar with producers and studio heads, but there's one name I do know: Tom Rothman. I know that name to the point where as soon as I saw him linked to Sony I instantly said, "Oh no."

A big part of why Marvel and Fox remain at such odds is because of Rothman. A big part of why Fox has the reputation as "The studio that makes awful superhero films" is because of Rothman, to the point where his stink clings to the studio and puts a downer on everything they produce even after a few years of being on an upward swing with their film franchises and superhero properties. He is about the closest thing to an arch-villain of superhero cinema I can think of, and just about the worst person I can imagine being in the mix to ensure a harmonious Marvel/Sony relationship.

Here's what you need to know about Tom Rothman. His defining traits, which he's most known for, are 1. His massive ego that demands him to swing his dick around on films and micro-manage to show how invaluable to their success he is, and 2. His extreme pettiness, to the point where he will actually hurt his own films if it means getting payback on a grudge or an imagined slight. This is NOT the guy who you want on the Sony side when it comes to navigating delicate negotiations between Sony and Marvel Studios about Spider-Man's MCU appearances.

Remember the nightmare scenario we talked about, where people were saying, "What if Sony uses Civil War or whatever as free advertising for their 2017 Spider-Man solo reboot, then screws over Marvel Studios by then never letting Spider-Man appear in any other films once they've been given the MCU boost?" And remember how most of us dismissed that by saying, "That would be totally counter-intuitive long-term for Sony and would require an imbecile level of belligerence and vindictiveness?" Well...

A massive thunderstorm rolled in over my town while I read this post.

I agree he's bad news, maybe the worst bad news one could get when talking superhero movies. As I have said, pray his bosses keep him on a tight leash.

 

[UltimateWebhead]

Remember the nightmare scenario we talked about, where people were saying, "What if Sony uses Civil War or whatever as free advertising for their 2017 Spider-Man solo reboot, then screws over Marvel Studios by then never letting Spider-Man appear in any other films once they've been given the MCU boost?"

Even without Rothman being a part of Sony, this thought was already in the back of my mind. Sony was dumb in the past and I would expect them to continue to be dumb in the future. I'd be very disappointed if something like that happened but not at all surprised.

 

[Tymminator]

My question is, how do we not know he isn't using Sony as a stepping stone to try and sweet talk his way as a person of power at Disney? This is what I am worried about. I'm almost certain it won't happen, but who knows what crap he has on people to use it as blackmail (it's the only thing i can think of how he stayed into power for so long.)

Sony only picked Rothman as he is good at keeping budgets in line, and they need that badly as again, they have been bleeding billions and they need to stop access loses where they can. Feige & Company keep Marvel Studios in budget on their own and don't have that issue where Disney wouldn't even begin to entertain the thought of needing to get Rothman for those reasons.

Disney is not that stupid.

Feige is a proven investment/asset to them who contributes to a VERY successful mega-franchise, Rothman is not is NOT an investment to them in any form and was released from Fox in recent memory, still linked to some of Fox's weakest critically and financially CBM's.

What would Disney possibly benefit picking up Rothman? What would be their upside financially or any type of way?

Disney/Marvel Studios is not going to trade or risk losing a proven asset like Feige and their successful MCU which is doing uber-well for a person who not too long ago was a thorn in the side of CBM's and Marvel Studios in general.

Disney is not desperate, they love money and they want to make more. Simple enough reasons right there.

 

[Spider2099]

Even without Rothman being a part of Sony, this thought was already in the back of my mind. Sony was dumb in the past and I would expect them to continue to be dumb in the future. I'd be very disappointed if something like that happened but not at all surprised.

I'll be happy if Spider-Man at least makes it to Infinity War. After that nothing is clear.

 

[FVD]

I think it will be fine if Rothman simply has to answer to Lynton and Hirai so all good, and that mean a breather for Feige too. With Rothman's recent meddling into X-Men Origins: Wolverine, how nice it would be if we got a version the way Gavin Hood intended should there be unreleased footage lying around in the vaults somewhere.

 

[GREEN =w= DAY]

Rothman is a cancer

just look how the quality of the X-Men movies have gone up since he got the boot from Fox. luckily, Disney/Marvel are not stupid and will most likely have more say on the matter than Rothman

 

[Webhead2006]

In my opinion I know of all the crap he did with fox. Hopefully he has learned from those mistakes. And will help shape sony in good ways.

As for spidey I bet he wouldn't have much to do with production end stuff or even have his name on the film st all. He likely just be one of the many sony heads to give the ok for production costs and crew stuff. I don't see why he would have any hand in creative matters.

 

[mclay18]

I think we have nothing to worry about regarding Rothman and the Spidey reboot in terms of budgeting and story input. While a recent article detailing Rothman's budget cuts to upcoming Sony films like Ghostbusters (that budget went from $169 million to $154 million)-- but nothing mentioning the Spider-Man reboot.

I think Lynton and Pascal instructed Rothman not to interfere with the new franchise or antagonize Kevin Feige.

 

[Webhead2006]

Totally Rothman has no reason to touch or interference with spidey. Besides possibly co signing for budget stuff or hiring crewing. Since we already know he isn't the only one in charge. He shares position with Michael and are overseen by the Sony Japan execs.

 

[NotSoLongAgo]

It should also count for something that Marvel is co-financing right? Especially if they went the 50/50 route

 

[Webhead2006]

That too if that's the case.

 

[Urich Leeds]

To be fair, budget cuts at Sony are a good thing. They have a bad habit of overspending. Especially with marketing.

Plus, those cuts arent too bad. I've seen him do much worse during his Fox days.

 

[Webhead2006]

Totally we don't need 200+million budget for the film. Any way around 150mill would be fine. Give the film itself like 125 mill and about 25 mill for marketing all be goid. Plus the smaller the budget helps for them to make more profits.

 

[mclay18]

With Michael Lynton out as Sony's CEO, it looks like Rothman's days could be numbered at the Culver City lot.

Especially with Columbia finishing #5 out of the big six major studios, whoever replaces Lynton as Sony Pictures' CEO is likely to hire his own person to replace the embattled Rothman.

 

[Web-Head]

With Michael Lynton out as Sony's CEO, it looks like Rothman's days could be numbered at the Culver City lot.

Especially with Columbia finishing #5 out of the big six major studios, whoever replaces Lynton as Sony Pictures' CEO is likely to hire his own person to replace the embattled Rothman.

Good

 

[mclay18]

Rothman is just... if you're his pet like Ang Lee or Baz Luhrmann, you're likely to have smooth sailing. But if you're not, you have to fight to maintain your creative integrity.

 

[PeterBenParker]

Can we get Jeff Robinov or someone like that?