[13] He obtained a Bachelor of Fine Arts in film and television production from the University of Southern California in 2003,[10] where he was a member of the Sigma Phi Epsilon fraternity.

[citation needed] After making his student short, When the Kids Are Away, Chu was signed to William Morris Agency and attached to several high-profile projects.

[16] Sony re-hired Chu to direct their updated version of The Great Gatsby,[16] which did not pan out as the project was purchased by Warner Bros. Pictures for their 2013 film.

Chu says LXD was inspired by Michael Jackson's "Thriller" and "Smooth Criminal" music videos and by the dancers he met while filming the movie Step Up 2: The Streets.

Chu directed Crazy Rich Asians, which was the highest-grossing film over the August 17, 2018, weekend, earned over $35M at the US box office during its first five days,[23] and received a 93% rating from Rotten Tomatoes.

[26][27][28][29] In October 2020, it was announced that Chu would be directing the pilot for the Disney+ series Willow, based on the film of the same name, with Warwick Davis returning as the title character.

[30][31] The following month, Chu entered talks with Disney to direct a live-action adaptation of Lilo & Stitch,[32] which he ultimately passed on due to other obligations.

[33] The following month, it was announced that Chu would direct the two-part film adaptation of Wicked for Universal Pictures, with both parts set for November 2024 and 2025 releases.

[36] In March 2022, it was announced that Chu would be producing (and possibly directing) an animated film based on the children's modeling compound Play-Doh.

[37][38] In April 2023, it was revealed that Chu will direct and co-produce a feature film adaptation of Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice's musical Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, a passion project he had been hoping to make for some time, for Amazon MGM Studios and the Really Useful Group.

[39] In August 2024, it was announced that Chu will direct the film adaptation of the Britney Spears biography The Woman in Me for Universal, re-teaming with Wicked producer Marc Platt on the project.