Molly Ringwald Joins 'Jem and the Holograms'

The cast of Jon M. Chu's Jem and the Holograms mostly features young stars nobody outside of the Disney Channel have heard of, but it's starting to get more recognizable by the day. Juliette Lewis came aboard recently, adding her rock star experience into the mix, and now '80s icon Molly Ringwald (Sixteen Candles, The Breakfast Club) is joining her.

Ringwald's heyday was around the time Jem and the Hologram was at the height of its popularity, and the films she starred in reached out to the same teenaged girl audience Jem is trying to connect with now. Like Lewis, her role is being kept hidden which leaves open the possibility she's playing Synergy, the holographic supercomputer Jem uses to hide her identity. 

Ringwald joins Aubrey Peeples as Jem, Stefanie Scott as Kimber, Aurora Perrineau as Shana, Hayley Kiyoko as Aja, and Ryan Guzman as Rio. Here's hoping Ringwald isn't turning up just to make fun of her past persona, as she did in Not Another Teen Movie.

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Juliette Lewis Finds Synergy with 'Jem and the Holograms'

It only makes sense that a movie like Jem and the Holograms would have at least one actual rocker in the cast, and now with the addition of Juliette Lewis they get that and an Oscar-nominated actress. Pretty sweet combo deal.

Lewis has come aboard Jon M. Chu's live-action version of the "truly outrageous" 1980s cartoon and toys about Jerrica Benton, a young woman who transforms into the mysterious rock star Jem with the use of special earrings. As of now Lewis' role is being kept under wraps but she's plenty of experience leading her own bad, Juliette and the Licks, before going solo in 2009. It's possible Lewis could play one of Jem's rivals in The Misfits, but I'm guessing the popular theory will be she's the voice of Synergy, Jem's powerful holographic supercomputer. In the cartoon, Synergy's voice was of the inventor's wife and took a female form when called upon to physically interact.

Lewis joins Aubrey Peeples as Jem, Stefanie Scott as Kimber, Aurora Perrineau as Shana, Hayley Kiyoko as Aja, and Ryan Guzman as Rio. [Deadline]

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'Step Up' Star Ryan Guzman is Rio in 'Jem and the Holograms'

By the time Ryan Guzman had danced his way into Step Up Revolution, Jon M. Chu had vacated the director's chair in favor of producing the long-running franchise. But Chu must have been plenty impressed because he's set to work with Guzman on his live-action version of Jem and the Holograms.

Guzman will be taking on the role of Rio Pacheco, who fans of the trippy 1980s cartoon will remember as the band's road manager. Actually, the situation was more complicated than that as Rio had a crush on Jem even though he was the boyfriend to her civilian identity, Jerrica. One of the running plots of the series was Jerrica hiding her identity as Jem from him, which caused all sorts of problems. I won't lie, part of me saw Taylor Lautner in this role. Yeah, I've given Jem and the Holograms that much thought.

Guzman joins Aubrey Peeples as Jem, Stefanie Scott as Kimber, Hayley Kiyoko as Aja and Aurora Perrineau as Shana. He'll be seen next as part of the returning dance crew in Step Up All In. [THR]

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First Look at the 'Jem and the Holograms' Movie as the Cast is Revealed

Well, that didn't take long. It was just over a month ago that Jon M. Chu announced he would be directing a live-action version of 1980s cartoon, Jem and the Holograms. And now not only has the cast been revealed, but the first poster and group photo has arrived. Talk about Synergy!

Nashville star Aubrey Peeples will take on the role of band leader, Jem; Stefanie Scott of Disney Channel's Frenemies is Kimber, Hayley Kiyoko (The Fosters) is Aja, and Aurora Perrineau of Pretty Little Liars is Shana. The 'toon centered on the titular rock band that was led by their mysterious frontwoman, Jem, who used a holographic imaging computer known as Synergy to go on adventures and battle rival bands. The film will tweak things a little bit by making Jem an Internet sensation who goes on "a music-driven scavenger hunt — one that sends them on an adventure across Los Angeles in an attempt to unlock a final message left by her father."

Half the cast is made up of Disney Channel starlets, which makes sense as the film is expected to be rated PG. So what do you think? Is this news "truly outrageous" or what?

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Jon M. Chu to Direct Live-Action 'Jem and the Holograms'

Here's what we know about Jon M. Chu as a director: he's really good with song and dance films, such as Step Up 2 and the Justin Bieber concert docs; and G.I. Joe: Retaliation showed his love of '80s cartoon properties. So why not take on a film that rolls all of those passions into one?

In a surprising announcement, Chu revealed he will team up with Paranormal Activity producer Jason Blum to bring Jem and the Holograms to the big screen. It will be a live-action version of the cartoon which centered on Jerrica, a normal woman who, with the aid of a supercomputer known as Synergy, is able to transform into the mysterious lead singer, Jem. With her band, the Holograms, she battles rival bands such as The Misfits and The Stingers while keeping her identity a secret. It's a totally dated concept but kind of makes sense in today's American Idol culture.The original 'toon was a co-production of Hasbro and Marvel (!!!), and was branched off into toys and comics. Head to Comic-Con and you'll find no shortage of cosplayers dressed up as Jem and her loyal bandmates.

For the record, my wife is a Jem fanatic and will probably squeal with glee over this news.

An open casting call is underway with Chu encouraging everybody with some singing and dancing talent to throw their name into the ring. You can check out the full announcement, plus a refresher on Jem below.For more, just head on over to the film's rapidly-prepared official site.

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