Destin Daniel Cretton Launches New Production Company Hisako
Destin Daniel Cretton has launched a new multimedia production company, TheWrap has learned. The company, Hisako, launched with former Universal and Lionsgate exec Jeyun Munford, who will serve as the company’s president.
Hisako will develop projects for both film and television and will, according to the statement announcing the company’s launch, focus on “highlighting marginalized stories and pushing them into the mainstream.” One of the first projects Hisako will undertake is the previously announced live-action adaptation of the hit manga series “Naruto,” which Cretton will write and direct for Lionsgate.
“I feel very lucky to have Jeyun leading our team,” said Cretton in a statement. “She has a genuine care for the creative process and understands how to nurture and support an artist to see their vision come to life.”
He continued, “Our company, Hisako, is named after my grandma, who gave me my first VHS camera when I was eleven. She was a nurse with the heart of an artist; curious, kind, and fiercely protective of her tribe. Her spirit is the soul of this company.”
Joining Munford on the company staff are development VP Nikitha Menon and film VP Ron Najor, who held the same roles at Cretton’s previous production company. Hisako will continue Cretton’s production deal under Onyx Collective, a content brand under the umbrella of Disney Entertainment Television.
Prior to joining Hisako, Munford served as SVP of Production Development at Universal, overseeing films such as “Strays,” “Marry Me,” and “The 355.” She also served in the same role at Lionsgate, overseeing films like “Deepwater Horizon” and “Divergent.”
“I’ve always admired Destin’s empathetic approach to filmmaking and his ability to find the hope and humanity in a story,” said Munford. “It’s a privilege to join him in building a company that is committed to nurturing a community of singular storytellers and creatives.”
Cretton, who directed and co-wrote the 2021 Marvel film “Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings,” is currently in post-production on the Disney+ series “Wonder Man” and is developing a second “Shang-Chi” film. He is represented by WME and Goodman, Genow, Schenkman, Smelkinson & Christopher.
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