Destin Daniel Cretton | |
|---|---|
 Cretton at the 2019San Diego Comic-Con | |
| Born | Destin Yori Daniel Cretton |
| Alma mater | Point Loma Nazarene University San Diego State University |
| Occupations |
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| Years active | 2002–present |
| Spouse | |
| Children | 2 |
Destin Yori Daniel Cretton is an American filmmaker. He is best known for directing the drama filmsShort Term 12 (2013),The Glass Castle (2017),Just Mercy (2019) as well as theMarvel Studios filmShang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings (2021).
Cretton was born and raised inHaiku, Hawaii on the island ofMaui. He is of half-Japanese descent.[2][3] He was home-schooled by his Christian mother.[4][5] His sister Joy is a costume designer who has worked on several of Destin's projects.[6] He lived in Haiku in a two-bedroom house with his five siblings,[7] until he was 19 years old. He moved toSan Diego, California, to attendPoint Loma Nazarene University, where he majored incommunications.[8] After graduating, Cretton worked for two years as a staff person at a group home for at-risk teenagers.[9][10]
He made short films as a hobby, which developed as a vocational path. He attended and graduated from film school atSan Diego State University.[9]
While at San Diego State University, Cretton made a 22-minute short film,Short Term 12, based on his experiences at the facility for teenagers. The short film premiered at the2009 Sundance Film Festival, where it won the Jury Prize in Short Filmmaking.[11]
After graduating from film school, Cretton made his feature directorial debut with the 90 minute film,I Am Not a Hipster, which premiered at Sundance on January 20, 2012.[12] The film was produced byRon Najor, who would later go on to produce thefeature adaptation of Short Term 12 alongside Maren Olson, Asher Goldstein, and Joshua Astrachan.[13] Cretton's feature-length screenplay won one of theAcademy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences' fiveNicholl Fellowships in Screenwriting in 2010.[14]
The film premiered on March 10, 2013, atSouth by Southwest, where it won the Grand Jury and Audience Awards for a Narrative Feature.[15] Widely acclaimed as one of the best films of 2013, it was listed on many film critics' annual top ten lists.[16] The film earned several accolades, including threeIndependent Spirit Award nominations.[17]
In 2014, Cretton was attached to rewrite the script and directThe Glass Castle, an adaptation ofJeannette Walls'2005 best-selling memoir of the same name about a successful young woman raised by severely dysfunctional parents.[18] Starring Brie Larson, the film also featuresWoody Harrelson andNaomi Watts as her alcoholic father and eccentric mother, respectively.[19] Larson's role was originally considered byJennifer Lawrence, but she dropped out while the studio was seeking the male lead.[20] The film was released on August 10, 2017.[19] It received mixed reviews from critics; they praised the performances of its cast (particularly Larson and Harrelson) but criticized the emotional tones and adaptation of the source material.[21]
In 2016, it was announced thatRyan Coogler had teamed up with Cretton and poet/playwrightChinaka Hodge to developMinors, a television drama series produced by Charles D. King. Drawing from Cretton's experiences working in residential foster care, Hodge's background teaching under-served youth in San Francisco Bay area continuation schools and Coogler's upbringing in the East Bay,Minors promises to take an unflinching look at institutionalization, exploring juvenile facilities and the children who grow up in that system. The series will show how that system shapes young people over a one-year period. Hodge will write the series, and Coogler and Cretton will direct.[22]
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Cretton subsequently teamed with Larson andMichael B. Jordan forJust Mercy, a drama film based on civil rights defense attorneyBryan Stevenson'sNew York Times bestselling memoir:Just Mercy: A Story of Justice and Redemption.[23] Stevenson founded the Equal Justice Initiative in Montgomery, Alabama, where he provided defense counsel to men on death row. The plot follows Stevenson (Jordan) as he explores the case of a death row prisoner,Walter McMillian, whom he fought to free.[24] The film premiered at theToronto International Film Festival on September 6, 2019,[25] and was theatrically released on December 25, 2019, byWarner Bros. Pictures.Just Mercy was critically acclaimed.[26]
In March 2019, Cretton was hired byMarvel Studios to direct a film based onShang-Chi.[27] Both the film and Cretton's involvement were confirmed duringSan Diego Comic-Con in 2019, with the film being titledShang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings.[28] The film, which is Marvel's first superhero movie tentpole franchise with an Asian protagonist,[23] starsSimu Liu as the title character, withTony Leung Chiu-wai andAwkwafina co-starring.[28] On January 5, 2020, Cretton said that he signed up to the project because he wanted "to give [his] son a superhero to look up to".[29] The film was set to be released on February 12, 2021,[28] but was delayed to May 7[30] and later July 9[31] due to theCOVID-19 pandemic. During the midst of the coronavirus pandemic, Shang-Chi's production inAustralia was temporarily suspended while Cretton self-isolated. Production was halted on March 12, 2020,[32] and resumed in August 2020 and concluded in October 2020.Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings was released in theaters on September 3, 2021.[33] In December 2021, Cretton signed a deal with Marvel Studios andHulu'sOnyx Collective to develop aShang-Chi sequel and new Disney+ MCU series through his production banner Family Owned.[34] In June 2022, the series was revealed to be in early development and titledWonder Man, centered on the characterSimon Williams / Wonder Man, with Cretton directing two episodes of the series and developing it with series creator andshowrunnerAndrew Guest.[35][36] In July, Cretton was confirmed as the director ofAvengers: The Kang Dynasty for Marvel Studios.[37] In November 2023, Cretton stepped down as the director ofAvengers: The Kang Dynasty to focus on other Marvel projects, such as theShang-Chi sequel andWonder Man.[36]
In December 2022, Cretton was revealed to be an executive producer on the short filmSame Old, which was written and directed byLloyd Lee Choi. Cretton also produced a feature-length film adaptation of the short, titledLucky Lu, through his Family Owned banner alongside Ron Najor and Asher Goldstein, with Choi returning as writer and director.[38][39] The following year, Cretton was reported to be an executive producer on Choi's short filmClosing Dynasty.[39]
In February 2024, Cretton was revealed to be directing, co-writing, and co-producingNaruto, based on themangaseries of the same name forLionsgate.[40] In September that same year, it was announced Cretton would be directing the filmSpider-Man: Brand New Day forSony Pictures and Marvel Studios, set for release on July 31, 2026.[41][42] In December 2024, it was reported that Cretton had joined as an executive producer for the film adaptation ofIn the Garden of Tulips, based on the novel by Nora Sagal. The project marks a reunion between Cretton and director Julia Elihu, who first connected a decade prior when Cretton was involved in establishing the film program at Elihu's high school, Canyon Crest Academy in San Diego.[43]
In 2016, Cretton married fashion designer Nicola "Nikki" Chapman.[44][45] They have two children.[46]
| Year | Title | Director | Writer | Producer | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2012 | I Am Not a Hipster | Yes | Yes | Yes | Also editor |
| 2013 | Short Term 12 | Yes | Yes | No | |
| 2017 | The Glass Castle | Yes | Yes | No | Co-wrote withAndrew Lanham andMarti Noxon |
| The Shack | No | Yes | No | Co-wrote withJohn Fusco andAndrew Lanham | |
| 2019 | Just Mercy | Yes | Yes | No | Co-wrote with Andrew Lanham |
| 2021 | Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings | Yes | Yes | No | Co-wrote withDavid Callaham and Andrew Lanham |
| 2025 | Lucky Lu | No | No | Yes | [47] |
| 2026 | Spider-Man: Brand New Day | Yes | No | No | Filming[48] |
Executive producer
Documentary film
| Year | Title | Director | Writer | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2006 | Drakmar: A Vassal's Journey | Yes | Yes | Also co-producer and editor |
| Year | Title | Director | Executive Producer | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022–24 | Tokyo Vice | No | Yes | |
| 2023 | American Born Chinese | Yes | Yes | 2 episodes |
| 2026 | Wonder Man† | Yes | Yes | Post-production; 2 episodes[36] |
