Jem And The Holograms 2 Updates: Will The Blumhouse Sequel Happen?

Will Jem And The Holograms 2 ever happen? Bringing Jem And The Holograms to the big screen was a passion project for director Jon M. Chu. Based on the 1980s Hasbro cartoon Jem that followed the adventures of an all-girl rock group, Chu spent the best part of a decade working alongside indie producer Jason Blum trying to get a movie made. Their efforts finally paid off when it officially went into production in 2014, spurred on by the success of other recent live-action adaptations of Hasbro properties like Transformers and G.I. Joe.

Soon after, Nashville’s Aubrey Peeples was cast in the title role with fellow talents Stefanie Scott (A.N.T. Farm), Hayley Kiyoko (Five Points) and Aurora Perrineau (Prodigal Son) playing her bandmates and sisters Kimber, Aja and Shana – AKA the Holograms. Meanwhile, Chu put into place his plans for a movie that would both update the concept for a modern audience while paying homage to the cult classic cartoon and its fans.

Hence, Jem And The Holograms served as more of an origin story that allowed for the incorporation of modern cultural phenomena – like Jem being discovered via a YouTube video gone viral – while also including nostalgic nods to the cartoon. A mid-credits scene introducing The Holograms’ rival band The Misfits also paid fan service while seemingly setting the stage for a sequel, but will Jem And The Holograms 2 happen?

Jem And The Holograms Was A Box Office Bomb

Unluckily for Jon M. Chu and everybody involved in Jem And The Holograms, the movie bombed harder than a B-52 at the box office after its October 2015 release. Despite a pretty modest $5 million budget, it only made $2.3 million worldwide and was pulled from most domestic theaters after two weeks by distributors Universal Pictures.

Jon M. Chu Had Plans For A Sequel

Before the movie took a nosedive at the box office, it seemed Jon M. Chu was keen to make a sequel. Chu spoke about the possibility of Jem And The Holograms 2 during an interview with Comic Book, stating:

“I think that was always the intention. I thought of this as telling a bigger story, for sure … We even planted some Easter Eggs, in case we get the chance to make a sequel.”

Considering Chu conceived the movie as an origin story, it makes sense he had plans to follow up on Jem and her bandmates’ journey in subsequent films. He even jokingly entertained the idea of making a Hasbro merged universe movie featuring a Jem And The Holograms/Transformers/G.I. Joe crossover.

Jem And The Holograms 2 Probably Isn’t Happening

However big Jon M. Chu’s plans were for the future of Jem And The Holograms, a sequel doesn’t seem likely given the movie’s disastrous box office performance. While he may have been enthusiastic about making Jem And The Holograms 2 a few years ago, Chu has since had massive success with Crazy Rich Asians and no doubt will have more when both its sequels and his much-hyped big-screen take on Lin-Manuel Miranda’s musical In The Heights are released. It seems doubtful he’d return to such a maligned movie, passion project or not.