Jon M. Chu
Biography
Jon M. Chu is an American film director, producer, and screenwriter who was born on November 2, 1979, in Palo Alto, California. He is an alumnus of the USC School of Cinematic Arts. Among his known directing credits, he is recognized for directing the romantic comedy Crazy Rich Asians, which was released in 2018, and the musical fantasy Wicked, released in 2024. Crazy Rich Asians is noted as one of the first films by a major Hollywood studio to feature a majority cast of Asian descent. For his direction of Wicked, Chu won the National Board of Review Award for Best Director and the Critics Choice Award for Best Director. His other directed films include the dance films Step Up 2 The Streets and Step Up 3D, and the musical Jem and the Holograms.
Career overview
Jonathan Murray Chu, born November 2, 1979, in Palo Alto, California, is an American film director, producer, and screenwriter, and an alumnus of the USC School of Cinematic Arts. Known professionally as Jon M. Chu, John M. Chu, and Jon Chu, he has accumulated sixty known credits in the film industry, focusing primarily on directing.
Among his prominent directorial works are the romantic comedy Crazy Rich Asians, released in 2018, which is noted as one of the first films by a major Hollywood studio to feature a majority cast of Asian descent. His filmography also frequently includes musical elements, such as the dance films Step Up 2: The Streets from 2008 and Step Up 3D from 2010, the musical Jem and the Holograms, and the 2024 musical fantasy Wicked.
For his direction of Wicked, Chu won the National Board of Review Award for Best Director and the Critics’ Choice Award for Best Director. His career spans various genres with a recurring emphasis on music, dance, and large-scale studio productions.
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Career timeline
Full filmography
- Oh, the Places You'll Go! (2028) Director
- Wicked: For Good (2025) Director
- Epic Ride: The Story of Universal Theme Parks (2025) as Himself
- Wicked: One Wonderful Night (2025) as Self
- Wicked: One Wonderful Night (2025) Executive Music Producer
- Inside the Worlds of Epic Universe (2025) as Self
- Making Wicked: For Good (2025) as Self
- Wicked: For Good - A Sneak Peek (2025) as Self
- Wicked (2024) Director
- Defying Gravity: The Curtain Rises on Wicked (2024) as Self
- Defying Gravity: The Curtain Rises on Wicked (2024) Thanks
- Making Wicked (2024) as Self
- The Company You Keep (2023) Producer
- 100 Years of Warner Bros. (2023) as Self
- The Jennifer Hudson Show (2022) as Self - Guest
- Thai Cave Rescue (2022) Executive Producer
- Beauty and the Beast: A 30th Celebration (2022) Executive Producer
- One Perfect Shot (2022) as Self
- Soul of a Nation Presents: Together As One: Celebrating Asian American, Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander Heritage (2022) as Self
- In the Heights (2021) Director
- Directors on Directors (2021) as Self
- A Night at the Academy Museum (2021) as Self
- Justin Bieber: The New Me (2021)
- Home Before Dark (2020) Executive Producer
- Home Before Dark (2020) Director
- Good Trouble (2019) Director
- Ken Jeong: You Complete Me, Ho (2019) Director
- Crazy Rich Asians (2018) Director
- Be Natural: The Untold Story of Alice Guy-Blaché (2018) as Self
- Now You See Me 2 (2016) Director
- Dance Camp (2016) Producer
- The Late Show with Stephen Colbert (2015) as Self
- Jem and the Holograms (2015) Director
- Jem and the Holograms (2015) Producer
- We the Economy: 20 Short Films You Can't Afford to Miss (2014) Director
- G.I. Joe: Retaliation (2013) Director
- Justin Bieber's Believe (2013) as Self
- Justin Bieber's Believe (2013) Director
- Step Up Revolution (2012) Executive Producer
- Justin Bieber: Never Say Never (2011) Director
- The LXD: The Secrets of the Ra (2011) Director
- Step Up 3D (2010) Director
- The Legion of Extraordinary Dancers (2010) Creator
- Step Up 2: The Streets (2008) Director
- The Miley and Mandy Show (2008)
- YouTube Live (2008) as Himself
- Dancing with the Stars (2005) as Self - Guest Judge
- Gwai Lo: The Little Foreigner (2002) Director
- Silent Beats (2001) Director
- The Daily Show (1996) as Self
- Freaked (1993) as Giant Stuey Monster
- The Oscars (1953) as Self
- Golden Globe Awards (1944) as Self - Nominee
- Split Fiction Director
- Split Fiction Producer
- Crazy Rich Asians 2 Director
- Hot Wheels Director
- Hot Wheels Producer
- The Goxfather Producer
- The Goxfather Director
- The Great Chinese Art Heist Director
- The Woman in Me Director
- Crazy Rich Asians Spinoff Producer
- Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat Executive Producer
- Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat Director
- Play-Doh Director
- Play-Doh Producer
- Permanent Record Producer
- Permanent Record Director
- Untitled Britany Spears Biopic Director
- The LXD: Rise of the Drifts Director