Film director Jon M. Chu will tell the story of his life and career in a memoir coming later this year.
Random House will publish Viewfinder: A Memoir of Seeing and Being Seen, co-written with Jeremy McCarter, this summer, the press announced in a news release. It describes the book as “a powerful, inspiring memoir of belonging, creativity, and learning to see who you really are.”
Chu was born and raised in the San Francisco Bay Area, the son of immigrants, and studied film and television production at the University of Southern California. He made his directorial debut in 2008 with Step Up 2: The Streets, followed two years later by Step Up 3D.
He became a prominent figure in the film industry in 2018 with the release of Crazy Rich Asians, based on Kevin Kwan’s novel; the film became a blockbuster hit. His two-part film adaptation of the musical Wicked is scheduled for release in 2024 and 2025. With a cast including Cynthia Erivo, Ariana Grande, and Michelle Yeoh, it is one of the most hotly anticipated film projects in Hollywood.
In his memoir, Random House says, Chu “turns the lens on his own life and work, telling the universal story of questioning what it means when your dreams collide with your circumstances, and showing how it’s possible to succeed even when the world changes beyond all recognition.”
“It’s the book I wish someone had handed me when I was younger, a first-gen kid looking for reasons to believe there is a place for him in the world,” Chu said in a statement. “I hope it connects to anyone trying to understand who they are, and why their story is worth telling.”
Viewfinder is slated for publication on July 23.
Michael Schaub is a contributing writer.
