Nostalgia-ridden ‘80s toon fans finally got a longer look at what Universal’s live-action Jem and the Holograms adaptation is going to do to their childhood dreams when it hits theaters October 23, 2015.
Director Jon M. Chu (Justin Bieber’s Believe, Step Up 3D) and screenwriter Ryan Landels have modernized Christy Marx’s girl glam rock concept by turning Jerrica Benton (Aubrey Peeples) into a camera-shy orphan who goes Carly Rae Jepsen viral when her sister Kimber (Stefanie Scott) makes her videos public online. Together with their foster sisters (Hayley Kyoko as Aja, Aurora Perrineau as Shana), the Bentons are catapulted into a music-driven adventure through Los Angeles — but the demands of fame and the scheming of manager Erica Raymond (Juliette Lewis) put their friendship to the test.
Also starring are Ryan Guzman as Rio, Molly Ringwald as Starlight House caretaker Mrs. Bailey, Nathan Moore, Barnaby Carpenter and Nicholas Braun. Jem animated series voice stars Samantha Newark and Britta Phillips will appear in cameo roles.
It’s hard to tell at this stage whether Jem will be the truly, truly, truly outrageous adaption of our dreams, or just another rise to fame / coming of age / autotune informercial / excuse for twerking ball of mediocrity with a pink wig.
