It’s no secret that I have fond memories of JEM AND THE HOLOGRAMS from the original cartoon series and its accompanying toy line from Hasbro back in the 1980s. My wife and I have both enjoyed sharing some of those old episodes with our daughters, and just recently we picked up the first issue of the new JEM comic book from IDW Publishing. I’ve been writing about the forthcoming live-action JEM movie for what seems like a really long time, and today the first real look at it has arrived in the form of the first trailer and theatrical poster. Check them out below, and then I’ll share some of my own thoughts on it…
This is certainly not the tone I was expecting. JEM has a certain amount of “camp” charm to it, and the dramatic spin on this new telling almost makes me think of a darker, more somber version of JOSIE AND THE PUSSYCATS (a film I love, that was absolutely ahead of its time). At the same time, the modern flourishes make a lot of sense – especially for a generation that is largely unfamiliar with the source material, despite re-runs, Shout! Factory DVD releases and Netflix streaming that have all been made available.
That said, I’m still interested, and look forward to seeing this in theaters this Fall.
Official Details: “As a small-town girl catapults from underground video sensation to global superstar, she and her three sisters begin a one-in-a-million journey of discovering that some talents are too special to keep hidden. In Universal Pictures’ JEM AND THE HOLOGRAMS, four aspiring musicians will take the world by storm when they see that the key to creating your own destiny lies in finding your own voice.”
Directed by Jon M. Chu (Step Up series, G.I. Joe: Retaliation), the musical adventure stars Aubrey Peeples, Stefanie Scott, Aurora Perrineau, Hayley Kiyoko, Ryan Guzman, Molly Ringwald and Juliette Lewis. JEM AND THE HOLOGRAMS, based on the iconic Hasbro animated TV series, is written by Ryan Landels and produced by Chu, Jason Blum for Blumhouse Productions, Scooter Braun for SB Projects, Bennett Schneir, and Brian Goldner and Stephen Davis of Hasbro Studios.
