Red Dawn Remake Hits Theatres September 2010
1984 Cult Classic Retooled for Post-9/11 World
Jun 18, 2009
Women who wore scrunchies and listened to Duran Duran and men who wore parachute pants and high-tops in their youth, rejoiced shortly after reading a story in The Hollywood Reporter that a remake of 1980s cult classic Red Dawn is in the works. Expect blockbuster action and cutting-edge CGI. Another exciting possibility is that prases like 'people waking up with their throats cut' could enter the lexicon.
What Patrick Swayze Did Before Becoming a Ghost
The film launched the careers of Tinseltown notables including Patrick Swayze (Ghost), Charlie Sheen (Two and A Half Men), C. Thomas Howell (Southland), and Jennifer Grey (Dirty Dancing). They played high school kids in Colorado who were forced to hide in the mountains and fight the Soviets who invaded the U.S. during World War III.
Cold War Threat
As implausible as the plot sounds now the Cold War was a very real threat in 1984 and the film managed to avoid maudlin scenes (though at times it was cheesy). According to The Hollywood Reporter, the remake of Red Dawn will be retooled to reflect life in a post-9/11 world.
Star Trek to Wolverines
MGM is scheduled to begin production in September, and EW.com is reporting details of the cast. First up, Chris Hemsworth, who plays Captain Kirk's father in this summer's blockbuster Star Trek, takes on the role of Jed played by Patrick Swayze. Swayze was the leader of the high school resistance group who called themselves the Wolverines (named after the high-school football team).
Charlie Sheen
Charlie Sheen donned a bandana (and managed not to look entirely ridiculous) and played Swayze's younger brother, both of whom dedicated their young lives to destroying the foreign occupiers. In the remake, Matt Eckert is played by Josh Nichols, a staple on Nickelodeon in the show Drake & Josh. Eckert is the star quarterback and, naturally, a bit of a hothead, who spars constantly with his older brother but matures throughout the course of the film.
Remember Jennifer Grey? Before The Phrase "No-one puts Baby in a corner"
In the original Red Dawn, Jennifer Grey (pre-plastic surgery that left her completely unrecognizable to fans of Dirty Dancing and probably most of her family members) was one of two sisters who survived the invasion by escape to her grandfather's farm. They teamed up with the Wolverines and metamorphosed into hard-core warriors who were comfortable with artillery and flak jackets. They were an integral part of the teen rebel pack. Adrianne Palicki of Friday Night Lightstakes on the role in the 2009 version.
It's easy to label Red Dawn as just another movie about teen angst, hormones, and rebellion personified; but if the filmmakers get the remake right, it could potentially tackle weightier issues like minority rights, terrorism, the environment, and foreign policy.
