Washington DC [US], December 4 (ANI): Filmmaker Jon M Chu, fresh off the back-to-back success of 'Wicked' and 'Wicked: For Good', has signed a first-look producing deal with Paramount Pictures and Paramount Television Studios.

The three-year agreement, effective January 2, 2026, will see Chu and his production company develop and produce both feature film and television projects for the studio, according to The Hollywood Reporter.

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

Chu is concluding a tenure at Warner Bros., where he directed the feature adaptation of the Broadway musical In the Heights and the hit Crazy Rich Asians. Sources say that while Warner Bros. and Universal - which produced the Wicked films - attempted to retain him, Paramount's offer proved unmatched. The studio has a history of attracting top talent, having recently signed filmmakers Matt and Ross Duffer, James Mangold, and actor Will Smith, according to The Hollywood Reporter.

Chu's latest film, 'Wicked: For Good', the second instalment in his Wicked adaptation, stars Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo. Released weeks ago, it set a record for the largest global opening ever for a movie based on a Broadway show, and also scored the second-biggest opening at the domestic box office in 2025. The first Wicked film, released last year, earned over USD 756 million worldwide and received 10 Oscar nominations, ultimately winning Academy Awards for Best Production Design and Best Costume Design.

Chu's earlier works include Crazy Rich Asians, which marked a milestone for Asian and Asian American representation in Hollywood; Now You See Me 2; Step Up 2: The Streets; and the In the Heights film adaptation. He is also developing a live-action Hot Wheels feature for Warner Bros. and executive producing a Crazy Rich Asians TV series for HBO Max, according to The Hollywood Reporter. (ANI)