But no: they appear to be serious, launching the video as a way of connecting with fans of the ‘80s show and asking for their input as a sort of Kickstarter for creativity. (They’re very clear that they’re not asking for money).
If you’re raising your eyebrows at this point and wondering what all this Jem stuff is about, the Hasbro-spawned ‘toon ran for three years from 1985 and followed the adventures of Jerrica Benton, AKA Jem, pop singer and heroine. Ryan Landels has written a new script for the planned update that finds an orphaned teenage girl becoming a musical superstar. Her band embarks on a musical scavenger hunt across the US in the hopes of unlocking a message left by Jem’s father.
The team is also looking for potential stars in the making, so if you think you look good in a pink wig and spangly outfits, you might want to submit your audition tape. But get moving, because Blumhouse is aiming to have this one shooting in the spring, which since this news story is being written on the first day of the season, is already upon us.
Can this whole thing work? Well, Blum in particular has shown a talent for pulling movies together quickly, so the answer is probably yes. Will it be any good? That’s another matter entirely...