Jon M. Chu

Jonathan Murray Chu (born November 2, 1979) is an American filmmaker. He has directed the films Step Up 2: The Streets, Step Up 3D, Justin Bieber: Never Say Never, Hasbro franchises Jem and the Holograms and G.I. Joe: Retaliation, and the romantic comedy Crazy Rich Asians. Chu is an alumnus of the University of Southern California School of Cinema-Television. There, he won the Princess Grace Award, the Dore Schary Award presented by the Anti-Defamation League, the Jack Nicholson directing award, and was recognized as an honoree for the IFP/West program Project: Involve.

Life and career
Chu was born in Palo Alto, California and grew up in nearby Los Altos. His mother, Ruth Chu was born in Taiwan and his father, Lawrence Chu was born in Sichuan. Lawrence Chu is a well-known chef, and his parents own Chef Chu's, a popular restaurant in Los Altos. He attended Pinewood School from kindergarten through 12th grade.

After making his student short, When the Kids Are Away, Chu was signed to William Morris Agency and attached to several high-profile projects. Chu was hired by Sony Pictures to direct their feature Bye Bye Birdie but Sony never green lit the film due to budget concerns. Sony recently got back into business with Chu to direct their updated version of The Great Gatsby, which did not pan out but, after being purchased by Warner Bros. Pictures with Baz Luhrmann attached, developed into the 2013 film. He is in a dance crew called AC/DC or Adam/Chu Dance crew.

In an interview, Chu addressed a question he is often asked, "Why do all of your films have dance?" He responded, "I don't know why. It seems so obvious. But there's something about the dancers that motivate me the most. I don't know if it's just dance, but I do think that the dancers are amazing artists, and every time I meet a new dancer, that triggers something in my brain, and I'm more creative than I could ever be. When I feel that creativity burst, I go with it."

In 2013, Chu was awarded the Visionary Award by East West Players (EWP), the longest-running theater of color in the United States, for his contributions to the Asian Pacific American (APA) community. In an online Q&A, Chu revealed that he had attended EWP's productions as a child and was excited "to push boundaries with them in the future."

Chu directed Crazy Rich Asians, which was the highest-grossing film over the August 17, 2018 weekend, and earned over $35M at the US box office during its first five days, and a 93% certified fresh rating from Rotten Tomatoes. Within a week of the film's release, Variety reported that a sequel was already in development by Warner Bros. with Chu scheduled to direct. Director Chu is part of Rachel Chu's family in the book, as a distant cousin, making life surrealistically linked to art.

Chu is also set to direct the film adaptation of the Broadway musical In the Heights for Warner Bros., which is scheduled for a June 26, 2020 release date, with creators Lin-Manuel Miranda and Quiara Alegría Hudes attached to the film as well.

Filmography
Producer
 * Step Up Revolution (2012) (executive producer)
 * Step Up: All In (2014) (executive producer)
 * Step Up: Year of the Dance (2019)