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‘Jem and the Holograms’ film gets its stars, releases first image

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Barely a month after revealing plans for a live-action film version of “Jem and the Holograms,” producers have announced who will bring the sparkly, neon-haired glam rock band to life.

“Nashville” actress Aubrey Peeples has been cast in the titular role, according to the Hollywood Reporter.

The Holograms will be rounded out by Stefanie Scott ( “A.N.T. Farm”), who will play Jem’s sister, Kimber; Aurora Perrineau (“Pretty Little Liars”), who will play Shana; and Hayley Kiyoko (“The Fosters”) has signed on for the role of Aja.

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The announcement was further teased with the first official image of the film, offering tightly cropped shots of the four leads made up as the Holograms.

Last month, Jason Blum (“Paranormal Activity,” “Insidious”), Jon M. Chu (“G.I. Joe,” “Step Up 2: The Streets”) and Scooter Braun, the brains behind Justin Bieber, announced that they were teaming up to bring a “modern day, live action, reinvention” of the series to theaters.

The Hasbro toy line and animated series ran from 1985 to 1988. The cartoon followed Jerrica Benton and her pink-haired alter ego Jem, the frontwoman of glam rock band the Holograms.

The re-imagining of the show centers on an orphaned teenage girl who becomes an online recording sensation and embarks on a music-driven scavenger hunt with her sisters across L.A. in an attempt to unlock a final message left by her father.

News of the reboot has excited fans, but the creator and head writer of the original series, Christy Marx, revealed that not only had she been shut out of the project but but that she had learned about the film’s development a few days before its announcement.

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The writer and video game designer took to Facebook to issue a lengthy statement after the announcement was made.

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“Many people wonder how I feel about it. I don’t think I can hide that I’m deeply unhappy about being shut out of the project,” Marx wrote. “That no one in the entertainment arm of Hasbro wanted to talk to me, have me write for it, or at the very least consult on it. I wouldn’t be human if that failed to bother me.”

Marx said someone “high in the Hasbro PR department” contacted her about the film and its impending reveal so she “wouldn’t be blindsided by it.” Chu did, however, reach out to her, she wrote in her statement.

The high-powered trio has asked fans to be involved through every step of the film’s process, taking submissions for roles in the film and imploring fans to upload photos, video and messages of what they love about Jem on Tumblr.

Chu is directing and will produce along with Jason Blum’s Blumhouse Productions, Scooter Braun Productions and Hasbro. Filming has already began.

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