Jon M. Chu signs a multi-year first-look deal with Paramount Skydance.
Jon M. Chu, the filmmaker behind some of Hollywood’s biggest recent musicals, is heading to Paramount Skydance.
The #Wicked director has signed a multi-year first-look film and TV deal with the David Ellison–led studio, marking a major move for both Chu and Paramount’s expanding creative partnerships.
The three-year producing agreement officially begins on January 2. Under the deal, Chu and his production company, Electric Somewhere, will work from the Paramount lot and collaborate closely with top executives, including Paramount Pictures co-chairs Dana Goldberg and Josh Greenstein, Motion Picture Group president Don Granger, and Paramount Television Studios president Matt Thunell.
Chu previously had a deal with Warner Bros., where he directed two major hits: Crazy Rich Asians and In the Heights. Despite recently delivering Universal’s blockbuster musical Wicked: For Good, Chu is shifting his long-term creative base to Paramount Skydance, which has recently added other high-profile talents such as Matt and Ross Duffer, James Mangold, and Will Smith.
His move comes as Wicked: For Good continues to dominate the box office and attract awards buzz. The film follows the massive success of 2024’s Wicked, starring Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande, which became the highest-grossing movie musical adaptation ever with more than $756 million worldwide.
The follow-up, released in November, broke records with the biggest global opening for a Broadway-to-film adaptation and the second-biggest domestic opening of the year. So far, For Good has earned $393.3 million globally, including $270 million domestically.
Chu’s upcoming slate remains packed across multiple studios. He is set to direct a Britney Spears biopic at Universal, a live-action Hot Wheels movie at Warner Bros., and an animated adaptation of Dr. Seuss’s Oh, the Places You’ll Go! featuring Ariana Grande and Josh Gad.
He’s also attached to direct a film version of the musical Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat.
Chu is represented by UTA, Artists First, Goodman, Genow, Schenkman, Smelkinson and Christopher, LLP, and ID PR.
