First Official Photo and Synopsis Released by Studio for the ‘Jem and the Holograms’ Live-Action Movie

Universal Pictures has just released the first official promo photo for their upcoming live-action movie based on the Hasbro toy line and the 1980s animated television series Jem and the Holograms which will hit theaters beginning October 23.

Directed by Jon Chu from a screenplay written by Ryan Landels, the film stars Aubrey Pebbles as Jerrica Benton/Jem, the lead singer of the band; Stefanie Scott as Kimber Benton, Jerrica Benton/Jem's younger sister and the keyboardist as well as their primary songwriter; Hayley Kiyoko as Aja Leith, the lead guitarist of the band and right-hand woman to Jerrica/Jem; and Aurora Perrineau as Shana Elmsford, the bass guitarist of the band. Also appearing in the film are Juliette Lewis as Erica Raymond, the ruthless and corrupt co-owner of Starlight Records; Ryan Guzman as Rio Pacheco, the road manager and engineer for the band and Jerrica/Jem's love interest; Molly Ringwald as Mrs. Bailey, the caretaker of Starlight House; and Barnaby Carpenter as Emmet Benton, Jerrica and Kimber's late father. Nathan Moore portrays Zipper, the main antagonist in the Jem and the Holograms live-action movie. In the original Hasbros TV animated series, Zipper is just a henchman of Eric Raymond who performs his dirty work for him.

The studio's new synopsis reads: "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."

Apparently, aside from moving the time setting of the story from the 1980s in the original Hasbro TV series to the present in the live-action version, the studio has also taken some liberties with respect to some of the characters and their background. From being owner and manager of Starlight Music, Jerrica Benton/Jem becomes a small-town girl. Also, Eric Raymond now becomes Erica Raymond.