Jem And The Holograms is getting another shot in live-action, this time as a series at Amazon MGM Studios, more than a decade after the 2015 movie became a massive box office flop.
The new project is in development with Lisa Joy and Jonathan Nolan’s Kilter Films producing alongside Hasbro Entertainment, according to Deadline.
The timing is also interesting, as the announcement comes after the huge success of Netflix’s KPop Demon Hunters, another music-driven story centered on a girl group taking on the bad guys.
Of course, Jem came first. The original animated series debuted in 1985 and followed Jerrica Benton, a record company owner who uses the holographic technology Synergy to become Jem, the lead singer of Jem and The Holograms.
Amazon Developing New Live-Action Jem And The Holograms Series
Deadline reports the new Jem And The Holograms series is being described as an elevated live-action take on the beloved 1980s animated show.
Executive producers include Lisa Joy, Jonathan Nolan and Athena Wickham for Kilter Films, with Gabriel Marano executive producing for Hasbro Entertainment.
Kilter Films already has a major relationship with Amazon MGM Studios, with the company behind Prime Video’s Fallout, which is headed into its third season. Kilter is also working on Amazon’s upcoming Fourth Wing series, with Joy set to direct the opening episode.
The new Jem series joins Prime Video’s growing YA and female-driven slate, which also includes The Summer I Turned Pretty, We Were Liars, Culpables, and Off Campus.
Jem And The Holograms Movie Bombed In 2015
Amazon is now trying to succeed where the last live-action version failed badly, which was pulled from theaters.
Universal and Blumhouse released a live-action Jem And The Holograms movie in 2015, directed by Jon M. Chu and starring Aubrey Peeples as Jem. The film was a box office disaster, bringing in only about $2.3 million worldwide.
The movie also took heavy criticism from fans for moving away from what made the cartoon work. Instead of leaning into the wild music-video energy, sci-fi holograms, secret identities, rival bands, and over-the-top glam-rock style, the film played more like a grounded teen fame story.
Fans never really got the Jem movie they wanted. Amazon’s series now has a chance to correct that, especially with a longer TV format that can better handle the band, the music, Jerrica’s double life, Synergy, and the rivalry with The Misfits.
KPop Demon Hunters Proves The Girl Group Concept Can Still Work
The Amazon news also arrives at a good time for the concept.
Netflix scored a major win with KPop Demon Hunters, which follows the fictional K-pop girl group Huntr/x as they balance music stardom with fighting supernatural threats.
While Jem And The Holograms is not the same thing, both projects tap into a similar idea: a flashy girl group with big music, big style, and a larger-than-life battle happening behind the scenes.
