It's pretty clear that Jon M. Chu is a child of the '80s. His career took off with a pair of Step Up movies, which are basically the modern day version of break-dancing flicks like Breakin' and Beat Street. He tapped into nostalgia more directly with G.I. Joe: Retaliation, helping to revitalize that franchise. While he was set to direct G.I. Joe 3, Chu ventured into another old school property with a live-action take on '80s cartoon Jem and the Holograms, and now we're getting the first official look.
The titular glam band is led by Aubrey Peeples as Jem, with Stefanie Scott, Hayley Kiyoko, Aurora Perrineau, Ryan Guzman (a Step Up vet), plus Juliette Lewis and Molly Ringwald (!!!) co-starring. Here's the official synopsis:
As a small-town girl catapults from underground video sensation to global superstar, she and her three sisters begin a one-in-a-million journey of discovering that some talents are too special to keep hidden. In Universal Pictures’ JEM AND THE HOLOGRAMS, four aspiring musicians will take the world by storm when they see that the key to creating your own destiny lies in finding your own voice.
Hasbro made a mint in Transformers and GI Joe toys thanks to the movies, but will young girls run out to pick up Jem and the Holograms figures? We'll find out when the film opens October 23rd. Chu is currently filming Now You See Me: The Second Act.
