‘Jem and the Holograms’ Casts Its Leads, Releases First Image of the Band
Well that didn't take long -- 'Jem and the Holograms' has announced the four young actresses that will play the leading roles of Jem and her Hologram bandmates in the upcoming adaptation of the hit '80s cartoon, directed by 'G.I. Joe: Retaliation' helmer Jon M. Chu. And although Chu and the production team previously mentioned that casting was open to anyone -- even unknowns -- the four stars are all established young actresses.
THR reports that 'Jem and the Holograms' has cast its leads: Aubrey Peeples of 'Nashville' fame will play Jem, the entrepreneur and rock star. As for the Holograms: Stefanie Scott of Disney series 'A.N.T. Farm' will play Jem's sister Kimber, Aurora Perrineau of ABC Family series 'Pretty Little Liars' is playing Shana, and Hayley Kiyoko of 'The Fosters' is playing Aja.
Casting was put out to fans for submissions for who should play the leading roles, and production was open to casting unknowns, but they've obviously gone with more established actresses, which might be a good call given the film's rushed production schedule.
Based on the Hasbro toys and cartoon series from the '80s, the new 'Jem and the Holograms' live action film, directed by Chu from a script by Ryan Landels, updates the Jem story: she's still an orphaned girl, but she finds fame on the internet, as you do these days. The film has already drawn criticism for excluding original series creator Christy Marx and for rushing production with a male-dominated team.
Director Chu also released the below image of all four of the leads in make-up, as filming is already under way.