My buddy Gus posted the best news I’ve heard all month — a live-action movie based on the Jem cartoon is being made! Director Jon M. Chu (GI Joe: Retaliation) and his partners made the “truly outrageous” announcement on YouTube this morning.
For those of you not familiar with Jem, the cartoon was about a rich music executive named Jerrica Benton. For an ’80s cartoon, it was surprisingly layered and complex. Let’s see if I can sum it up in bullet points.
- After the untimely death of her parents, Jerrica has to run the family’s music label, Starlight Music. While she usually handles business matters skillfully, it’s still a challenging task for someone so young.
- Through a supercomputer named Synergy and holographic projectors in her earrings (seriously), Jerrica becomes Jem, the lead singer of Jem and the Holograms. Most of the girls in the group are orphans that grew up in Starlight House, a foster home run by the Benton family.
- The Holograms have all sorts of zany adventures and are often hindered by rival girl band The Misfits.
- In addition to her dual identities, Jerrica has to manage a complicated romance with Rio Pacheco. He’s Jerrica’s boyfriend and the manager for Jem and the Holograms. While Rio loves Jerrica, he not-so-secretly has the hots for Jem. Yes, Jerrica has created a love triangle for herself.
- Jerrica’s sister, Kimber, is also in the Holograms. She’s pretty much the Jan Brady of the show, often jealous of Jem/Jerrica. Later in the series, she develops a close friendship with The Misfits’ Stormer. You don’t become besties with someone in a rival band!
- The show features liberal use of keytars.
So yeah, the show was so ridiculous that it was awesome. I’m hoping that the movie is similarly ridiculous (in that awesome way).
Chu is running a social media campaign, asking for creative input and casting ideas. If you’ve been waiting to share your Jem and the Holograms masterpiece then make a short video, post it, and use the hashtag #JemTheMovie.
I’m mostly excited for live-action Jem and the Holograms. I’m all about the movie, but torn about one of the catchphrases used in the show. You see, before the camera rolls for my video reviews and interviews, I say, “Showtime synergy.” It was fun when it was an obscure reference, but I’m afraid that this movie will let everyone in on the joke.
Anyway, check out the clips below and let me know how you feel about a live-action movie based on Jem and the Holograms.
It will only be awesome if they make creative decision in which The Misfits are played by The Misfits.
Collect the heads off little girls and put ’em on my wall.
That’s outrageous! Truly, truly, truly outrageous!
-M