The thought of a live-action version of Jem and the Holograms felt like a bit of a joke back when it was announced; and now that Universal Pictures has released the first trailer for JEM AND THE HOLOGRAMS…well, I'll let you fill in the blanks. The film, which is based on the 1980s animated television series, stars Aubrey Peeples as Jem, Stefanie Scott as Kimber, Hayley Kiyoko as Aja, and Aurora Perrineau as Shana. Check out the trailer below.
JEM AND THE HOLOGRAMS director Jon M. Chu spoke about the challenges of updating the 80's cartoon for the modern age:
How can you even have a secret identity with all this social media? […] But then it dawned on us: Wait, everybody has a secret identity. The idea of ‘Who are you really?’ is more relevant today than ever. It’s actually about a group of young people who are going to be inundated with this idea of fame and fortune and products and stuff, and within all that, how do you stay true to who you really are? That’s the real soul of the movie.
I'm not overly familiar with the 80's cartoon so I can't say how much has survived in this incarnation, but it feels like this reboot only exists to cash in on the PITCH PERFECT craze. That's how business works Kevin. Also released was a brand new poster for the film; needs more neon.
JEM AND THE HOLOGRAMS will be released on October 23, 2015.