As we’ve come to expect, the process of making the live-action movie adaptation of 80s cartoon/toy series ‘Jem And The Holograms’ is racing along in development.  Shooting has actually already begun, but now the lead actresses have been announced.

At the top left is ‘Nashville’ (and ‘Sharknado’) actress Aubrey Peeples who will play the title role of Jem/Jerrica Benton.  Next to her is Hayley Kiyoko, who has appeared on numerous Disney shows, the recent series ‘The Fosters’ and who played Velma in the most recent ‘Scooby Doo’ movies, will depict Aja in the movie.  Below Hayley is Stefanie Scott who will play Jem’s sister Kimber.  Scott starred on Disney’s series ‘A.N.T. Farm’.  Finally, Aurora Perrineau will portray Shana.  She has the shortest resume of the four having only appeared in one episode of ‘Pretty Little Liars’, a low budget action movie called ‘Air Collision’ and in a possibly even lower budget horror movie ‘A House Is Not A Home’.  (She is the daughter of acclaimed actor Harold Perrineau– ‘Lost’, ‘Oz’.)

The ‘Jem & The Holograms’ movie is being directed by John M. Chu (‘G.I. Joe: Retaliation’) and produced by Jason Blum’s Blumhouse Productions, Scooter Braun Productions and Chu.

The Jem cartoon and doll line launched in 1985, shortly after MTV went on the air, beaming stylized music videos starring colorful pop icons like Cyndi Lauper, Madonna, Michael Jackson and Boy George into homes around the world.  Jem was originally intended to tie-in more heavily with MTV, and Hasbro even offered a doll-sized MTV “tour jacket” as a mail-in premium and the cartoon was peppered with fantastical music videos that helped narrate the storylines of the show.

When the film project was announced, it was said to be reimagined “for a whole new generation with themes of being true to who you are in a multitasking, hyperlinked social media age.”

Ryan Landels wrote the script, which, per the producers, centers on an orphaned teenage girl who becomes an online recording sensation. She and her sisters embark on a music-driven scavenger hunt — one that sends them on an adventure across Los Angeles in an attempt to unlock a final message left by her father.

The producers have called upon savvy fans to contribute everything from songs, fashion designs and artwork to possibly be used in the film.  The movie is being shot on an indie movie budget, so it’s not surprising that the cast is mostly unknowns, but Peeples at least has shown some musical chops in her role of Layla Grant on ‘Nashville’.

What do you think?  Do you think these young starlets will do justice to ‘Jem & The Holograms’?

Source: THR