Destin Daniel Cretton has started a new multimedia production company called Hisako, according to TheWrap. The company, Hisako, was started with former Universal and Lionsgate exec Jeyun Munford, who will be the company’s president.
Hisako will work on projects for both movies and TV, and will focus on “highlighting marginalized stories and pushing them into the mainstream,” as per the announcement about the company’s launch. One of the first projects for Hisako will be the live-action adaptation of the popular manga series “Naruto,” which Cretton will write and direct for Lionsgate.
Cretton said, “I feel very fortunate to have Jeyun leading our team. She genuinely cares about the creative process and knows how to nurture and support an artist to bring their vision to life.”
He added, “Our company, Hisako, is named after my grandmother, who gave me my first VHS camera when I was eleven. She was a nurse with the heart of an artist, inquisitive, kind, and fiercely protective of her group. Her essence is the heart of this company.”
Nikitha Menon and Ron Najor, who previously held the same positions at Cretton’s previous production company, will join Munford on the Hisako team as development VP and film VP. Hisako will carry on Cretton’s production agreement under Onyx Collective, a content brand under Disney Entertainment Television.
Before joining Hisako, Munford was the SVP of Production Development at Universal, overseeing films like “Strays,” “Marry Me,” and “The 355.” She also held the same role at Lionsgate, overseeing films such as “Deepwater Horizon” and “Divergent.”
Munford said, “I’ve always respected Destin’s empathetic approach to moviemaking and his ability to find hope and humanity in a story. It’s an honor to work with him in establishing a company that is dedicated to nurturing a community of unique storytellers and creatives.”
Cretton, who directed and co-wrote the 2021 Marvel film “Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings,” is currently working on the Disney+ series “Wonder Man” and is planning a second “Shang-Chi” movie. He is represented by WME and Goodman, Genow, Schenkman, Smelkinson & Christopher.
