Jem and the Holograms, the movie adaptation of the much-beloved '80s cartoon, has just dropped its first trailer this week. And already it's begun angering fans of the original series, because the Jem and the Holograms movie looks almost nothing like the cartoon most people know.
Jem and the Holograms (the cartoon, that is) was a series in the same vein (and the same production company) as G.I. Joe and Transformers, about a woman named Jem (aka Jerrica Benton), who is a record executive by day and a secret rock star by night, thanks to a nifty hologram and computer system that creates her rock star alter ego. Jem and her bandmates have adventures, fight off bad guys, and get involved in a love triangle or two.
Jem and the Holograms- the film- is completely different. The upcoming movie, directed by Jon M. Chu, follows a teen girl who becomes a YouTube sensation and forms a band, fulfilling her dream of rock stardom. The film has none of the science fiction aspects of the original cartoon, which is infuriating fans across the Internet.
Even the original creator of Jem and the Holograms, Christy Marx, is upset with the film, saying:
"I don't think I can hide that I'm deeply unhappy about being shut out of the project. 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."
Given the massive upset amongst fans, it's hard to see Jem and the Holograms making much at the box office this fall. However, stranger things have happened- like how Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles was derided universally for straying away from the original characters' designs, yet still made enough box office cash to set a sequel in motion. Will you be seeing this new, hologram-free Jem and the Holograms? The film premieres on October 23, 2015.
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