When producers direct

We all know stories of actors who move into directing and producing, and some of them do great at it.

Not as common are stories of producers who move in the other direction, into creative roles in directing or acting. It happens (see Matthew Vaughan), but far less often.

So congratulations to longtime producer Denise Di Novi, who's shepherded movies as diverse as Edward Scissorhands ad Mad Max: Fury Road to screens, in her new career as a director.

As The Hollywood Reporter revealed recently, Di Novi has stepped into the breach on a thriller for Warner Bros after the previous director (Belle's Amma Asante) passed

http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/producer-denise-di-novi-make-800376

Another former chief goes rogue

Well, it's not news that Amy Pascal walked/was jettisoned from the chiefdom of Sony Pictures in the wake of the hacking scandal that rocked the company to its core late last year.

But she's also following a rite of passage shared by many former studio heads and creative executives in Hollywood, of setting up her own production shingle.

Pascal will work on the same lot as former Warner head Jeff Robinov, whose own company has a first look deal with the studio, and try to impress new chairman Tom Rothman enough to part with money for her projects.

And if a recent story on Variety is to be believed, Sony's a good place to be right now as Rothman has taken the reigns in a time of healing that might lead to expansion of budgets and projects after the contraction and protectionism of last year;

Welcome to the freelance club, Amy.