the biz

James L. Brooks, Sony Pictures Part Ways

Sony Pictures has parted ways with James L. Brooks and his famously shushing Gracie Films, declining to renew the writer-director’s overall deal with the studio that has been in place since 1990. Brooks’s most recent effort with the studio, the $120 million How Do You Know, was a financial bomb for Sony, grossing only 40 percent of its budget. Sony declined to comment on the reason behind the split. It’s not a total separation, however, as Brooks will maintain his development fund at the studio, through which he produced such films as Jerry Maguire. Just don’t tell Gavin Polone.

James L. Brooks, Sony Pictures Part Ways