Hi, Jana here,
Way back before Miley Cyrus‘ tongue made news or her alter-ego Hannah Montana, during the days of *heroes with a secret identity, like He-Man and She-Ra, there was Jem. Like many strong women, she could go on her first name alone ala Cher, Liza and Madonna. From 1985 to 1988 every morning when I woke up to get ready for school, I knew if I got dressed fast enough, I got to watch ‘Jem and the Holograms‘.
The story was simple enough, Jerrica Benton is the owner of Starlight Music and the Starlight Foundation, which is a foster home for young girls. But by using her earrings to project a holographic image over herself, she is transformed into her alter ego Jem, the lead singer for the successful music group, Jem and the Holograms. Other members of the group are Jerrica’s sensitive little sister Kimber, the strong-willed Aja, and the creative Shana. The group’s rivals are The Misfits, made up of the cold-hearted Pizzazz, the tough-acting Roxy, and the humble Stormer. Jem and her friends are always involved in glamorous and exciting adventures around the world, while touching people’s hearts with their hit songs.
Hasbro, Blumhouse Productions, Scooter Braun Prods and Jon M. Chu are partnering to bring the cult classic cartoon series to the big screen in a live-action picture. In an unusual twist, the filmmakers are asking fans to help in the creative process. Chu is directing from a script by Ryan Landels with production set to begin this spring. Using the same thematic elements present in the original fantasy world like music, art, technology and fairytale, this will be a whole new reimagining for a new generation of fans with central themes of being true to yourself in a multitasking, hyperlinked social-media age.
Seeing Blumhouse Productions involved is a real thinker for those of us that know the name Jason Blum from the schlockfests he is usually producing like ‘Sinister‘, ‘Insidious‘, ‘Paranormal Activity‘ those are just 3 examples but there are many many more.
I loved Jem, I really did, I had the earrings, I did the make believe that it was all my real life. I just hope they don’t go too far out there. Holograph inducing earrings and being a rock-star was every kid’s dream in the 80’s. Just don’t let someone’s new alter-ego be a media mogul!
Be sure to watch the video below to find out how you can be a part of the creative process in bringing Jem to life in the live-action world!
*For the record, I am in NO WAY calling Miley Cyrus or any of her body parts heroic.