Jon M. Chu Signs First-Look Agreement With Paramount

Acclaimed director Jon M. Chu has finalized a three-year first-look production arrangement with Paramount Pictures and Paramount Television Studios. Starting January 2, 2026, Chu and his production company will focus on creating and producing both film and television projects for the studio led by David Ellison.

Under the agreement, Chu will collaborate closely with Paramount Pictures co-chairs Dana Goldberg and Josh Greenstein, Motion Picture Group president Don Granger, and Paramount Television Studios president Matt Thunell.

Chu recently directed Wicked: For Good for Universal Pictures, the second chapter in his adaptation of the celebrated Broadway musical. Starring Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo, the film premiered last month, setting a new global opening record for a Broadway-based movie and achieving the second-highest domestic box office opening of 2025.

The first installment, Wicked, released last year, became a worldwide box office success with over $756 million in earnings. It also garnered 10 Academy Award nominations, including Best Picture, and secured wins for Best Production Design and Best Costume Design earlier this year.

Chu's previous work includes the critically acclaimed Crazy Rich Asians, which significantly advanced Asian and Asian American representation in Hollywood. His directing credits also feature In the Heights, Now You See Me 2, and Step Up 2: The Streets, among others.

Looking ahead, Chu is set to direct a live-action Hot Wheels film for Warner Bros and serve as executive producer for a Crazy Rich Asians television series currently in development at HBO Max.

Author: Logan Reeves