It’s about time! ScreenRant [via Daily Blam] give us a cast photo for the remake of everyone’s favorite gung-ho, Cold War paranoia action flick, Red Dawn. 
As a child of the 80’s (for better or mostly worse), the original Red Dawn – right-wing hawk John Milius‘s flick about a group of small town friends who fight off invading Russians – was an oddly iconic part of growing up in the Reagan era. The picture hasn’t aged particularly well, but as America has yet to experience the nightmare of a hostile invasion by a foreign army, (we’ve committed such a thing on others, but whatever) this fantasy appears to be part of our national consciousness.
MGM starting this remake in 2009, and after rewrite and casting updates, the project went quiet throughout most of 2010 as MGM financial future hung in suspended animation. After MGM filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy, it was bought by Spyglass Entertainment in the fall of 2010. All of MGM’s project were put on hold – including the next James Bond film and the Red Dawn remake.
Now, though, we’re seeing some movement, in the form of the official cast photo. Not much other info is available, although there’s a whole lot of set pics and videos available for perusal.
First-time director Dan Bradley helms the feature, written by Carl Ellsworth (Disturbia) and Jeremy Passmore. The big change in the story is the shift from Russian invaders to the Chinese, and switching the setting from rural Colorado to suburban Detroit, Michigan. With China poised to become a major economic superpower – and given it’s status as one of the last, defiantly Communist nations on the planet – it makes sense to tap into that unconscious American nervousness.
Red Dawn stars Chris Hemsworth (Star Trek, Thor) and Josh Peck (Drillbit Taylor) in the Patrick Swayze and Charlie Sheen roles, brothers who lead the pack of friends in their fight against the invading Commies. Rounding out the cast are Adrianne Palicki (Friday Night Lights), Josh Hutcherson (RV), , Isabel Lucas (Daybreakers) and Jeffery Dean Morgan (Watchmen, The Losers). Let’s hope the invasion begins in 2011. For comparison to the top pic, check out the 1984 original cast below:
Are you a Wolverine from back in the day? Are you excited about the remake?