‘Beef’ Creator Lee Sung Jin Launches Production Company, Plans Ali Wong Limited Series

Beef creator Lee Sung Jin and Netflix continue to have no beef whatsoever.

On Wednesday, Lee revealed the launch of his new production company Lila Pictures, which has been formed to facilitate the creation of scripted series and feature films under Lee’s Netflix pact. Hyunji Ward (Daddio), who started her career at UTA and spent the past four years at Dakota Johnson’s TeaTime Pictures, will be Lila’s senior vice president of film and television.

Lila (pronounced “Lee-lah”) Pictures derives its name from the Sanskrit word meaning “divine play.” So it’s pretty clever. Lee will use the banner to create, executive produce, write and direct series and films, while also “investing in the next generation of creative voices,” per the announcement.

There were also two new series in development to share:

• A new limited-drama series, The Only Child, which reunites Lee with longtime collaborators Ali Wong (Beef season one) and playwright and screenwriter Ava Wong Davies (Industry). Wong will produce and star, playing the mother of a professional archer preparing to compete for her first gold medal.
• A new drama series, Citizen’s Arrest. Created by Gene Hong (Beef), Citizen’s Arrest follows two longtime friends and neighbors whose obsession with solving a local crime becomes an escape from the private crises neither is ready to face.

Beef, a two-season anthology series, has won 11 Emmys out of 29 nominations. Lee was personally nominated for both writing and directing, becoming the first Asian creator to secure multiple Emmy nominations across writing, directing and producing categories for the same series.

“I’m excited to launch Lila Pictures with the support of my creative home at Netflix and the help of Hyunji Ward,” Lee said, in part. “This is just the beginning. There will also be merch.”

Lee recently wrote an X-Men film for Marvel with Joanna Calo (The Bear). He also executive produced Alex Russell’s film Lurker.