Just weeks ago, director John M. Chu and producers Scooter Braun and Jason Blum announced that they intended to bring 80s cartoon/doll line ‘Jem’ to the big screen via a Youtube video in which they implored fans to submit ideas for scripts, songs, even fashion. You’d think that would indicate that they were going to spend months sifting through submissions… but you’d be wrong.
Blum actually revealed, “We start shooting right away. Very soon. In like three weeks.” I would hope this means that they were already further along in development and that the call for submissions was just to sprinkle in some new elements.
How can they leap right into production like this? Blum explains:
Directors typically have three choices – you do a studio movie and get a paycheck up front, you do an independent movie, which is for your heart and you don’t get paid up front and probably don’t make any money on it, but it hopefully goes to Sundance and is more of an art movie, and then you do TV. I feel like our company is a fourth bucket, which is to do an independent movie that a studio will release.
Hmmm, I’m not sure how to interpret that. Can a live-action ‘Jem’ movie work on a limited indie budget? It certainly wouldn’t require the explosions and massive amounts of CGI that a ‘Transformers’ or ‘G.I. Joe’ movie would, but then again, they need a little bit of that to properly serve Synergy and her holograms.
In response to the ‘Jem’ movie, original head writer/story editor Christy Marx expressed some concern that the movie starring almost an entirely female cast was seemingly being guided by three men. “Where is the female voice? Where is the female perspective? Where are the women?” she lamented.
Well, it turns out there are actually a few women involved in the creation of this film. The crew behind the movie have released a behind-the-scenes video that sheds a little bit of light on the creation of the movie and gives us a glimpse at a few of the fan submissions, which range from pretty impressive to laughable. Check it out below:
What are your thoughts? Are you super pumped that ‘Jem’ will join other classic properties on the big screen? Or are you cautiously optimistic? Any casting suggestions?
Producer Scooter Braun is actually a successful music manager with illustrious clients such as Usher, Justin Beiber, Ariana Grande, Cody Simpson, The Wanted, Carley Rae Jepsen and Psy. Would any of these make a good fit for the movie? Could Usher make a good Anthony Julian (Shana’s boyfriend and the group’s movie/video director)? Or what about The Wanted’s heartthrob Max George as Sean Harrison (Kimber’s British beau)? Would either Ariana or Carley Rae make a good Jem?
Comment below!
Source: Blastr
