‘Red Dawn’ Villains Switched from China to North Korea

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**samusaran253**

MGM’s upcoming remake of Red Dawn was supposed to hit theaters in 2010, but the studio’s well-documented bankruptcy saga effectively put all of the projects they had in the pipeline on hold.

Since its recent restructuring, MGM has pushed high-profile projects like The Hobbit, Bond 23, and the RoboCop reboot back into development – but there’s been no official confirmation of when films that were completed before the company filed for Chapter 11 will be released.

Red Dawn will likely hit theaters at some point this year, but the film (which wrapped production in 2009) has one more significant alteration to undergo before it will be ready to hit theaters. The original 1984 film featured a group of small-town teenagers in America’s heartland taking a stand against Soviet invaders – but with the disintegration of the U.S.S.R. in 1991, producers initially decided that Chinese assailants would be more appropriate for the remake.

According to the LA Times, the filmmakers have decided to change the villains yet again. Instead of the Chinese, North Korean soldiers will now invade the U.S. in the Red Dawn remake. The switch was made in an effort to give the film greater box office appeal in China – which has become one of the most profitable markets for American movies.

Around the time MGM first delayed the release of Red Dawn, a Chinese newspaper called the Global Times expressed concerns that the film would demonize their state and its citizens (thanks in part to certain leaked images from the set). Evidently, this may have been a factor in scaring off potential distributors who were apprehensive about what effect their involvement with the film would have on future dealings with China.

So without any official complaints from the Chinese government, MGM will spend $1 million to construct a new opening sequence, re-edit several scenes, and digitally change Chinese symbols into Korean. It may sound somewhat ridiculous, but the fact of the matter is that the studio really had no alternative. If the film fails to secure distribution, it could wind up going straight to video – or being permanently shelved.

Interestingly, the video game Homefront (which was written by John Milius, the screenwriter of the original Red Dawn) recently underwent a similar change – THQ decided to swap out the game’s Chinese invaders for North Korean forces instead.

Even though China currently only permits around 20 non-Chinese films to be released there each year, they’re still the fifth largest box office market outside of the United States. Had Red Dawn opened in its original incarnation, many believe that a backlash would have been inevitable and that the film’s premise was flawed and problematic from the start.

Producer Tripp Vinson believes that the changes will make the Red Dawn remake “smarter and more dangerous”, but I have to admit that the idea of North Korea invading the U.S. seems a bit more farfetched to me. However, this is obviously a business decision above all else and it sounds like without these alterations, Red Dawn might never see the light of day.

Source: http://screenrant.com/red-dawn-villains-china-north-korea-schrad-106177/

**Crablezworth**

Just when it couldn't get any stupider...

**R3con**

After all the traffic issues this movie caused me when trying to get to clients I hope the damn thing flops..

**schadenfreude**

North korea had a gdp of $40 mil, only 24 mil citizens, and a per capita anual income of $1900.....yea.....they don't have enough military power to take over canada or mexico.

The sad part is a lot of idiots would be scared of a north korean ocupation after the movie comes out.

**sebster**

Russia was never capable of launching an assault on the US. Nor is China. Whoever invades it's going to be far-fetched silliness.

**biccat**

I can't imagine how this would be any better than the original.

They should just digitally remaster the original and release it in 3D.

**Chibi Bodge-Battle**

So, let me get this straight.
This is a film about North Korea invading and occupying the United States of America?

**RustyKnight**

Chibi Bodge-Battle wrote:So, let me get this straight.
This is a film about North Korea invading and occupying the United States of America?

And getting beat by a bunch of teens in the woods.

**Emperors Faithful**

sebster wrote:Russia was never capable of launching an assault on the US. Nor is China. Whoever invades it's going to be far-fetched silliness.

Of course, but look at it this way. If a film was made about Australia being invaded (please don't mention Tommorow: When the War Began), which would be more likely? Indonesia or East Timor? Becuase that's the difference in likelihoo we are looking at between China and North Korea invading mainland US.

**Chibi Bodge-Battle**

This just gets so much better!

So Not only does North Korea somehow presumably get the better of the Pacific Fleet, guarantee air superiority to gain a foothold against the air power of all 3 US Air Arms, beats the ground forces, National Defence, US militia Police and goodness knows what other lines of defense...

wait!...
No wonder the kids win.
There wouldn't be a lot of Korean forces left after battling through all that! What's left would be too bloody knackered

Quote from the Supreme Commander of the US Armed Forces, "Meh, let the kids in the woods have 'em."

**biccat**

Emperors Faithful wrote:If a film was made about Australia being invaded

I'd worry more about New Zealand:

**asimo77**

Red Dawn was such a horrible movie. Why would they remake it? Don't classics get remade?

**Emperors Faithful**

Chibi Bodge-Battle wrote:This just gets so much better!

So Not only does North Korea somehow presumably get the better of the Pacific Fleet, guarantee air superiority to gain a foothold against the air power of all 3 US Air Arms, beats the ground forces, National Defence, US militia Police and goodness knows what other lines of defense...

wait!...
No wonder the kids win.
There wouldn't be a lot of Korean forces left after battling through all that! What's left would be too bloody knackered

Quote from the Supreme Commander of the US Armed Forces, "Meh, let the kids in the woods have 'em."

If there was serious civil unrest in the US, to the point of another civil war, then the idea of a foreign power siding with one side and sending armed forces to help isn't so far fetched. Just not North Korea.

biccat wrote:
Emperors Faithful wrote:If a film was made about Australia being invaded

I'd worry more about New Zealand:

The Indonesian/East Timorese Liberation Force has yet to develop counter-wool weaponry.

**Chibi Bodge-Battle**

Now if they made a movie about an old socialist aquaintance of mine...

Many a chap has said it was great to get up at the crack of Dawn.

Whattagal *sighs*

**biccat**

Emperors Faithful wrote:
biccat wrote:
Emperors Faithful wrote:If a film was made about Australia being invaded

I'd worry more about New Zealand:

The Indonesian/East Timorese Liberation Force has yet to develop counter-wool weaponry.

"Our flamethrowers are useless!"

**Chibi Bodge-Battle**

Ah
didn't realise they were invited.

Need help starting a revolution?

Who ya gonna call?
Kim Jong-il for all your insurgency requirements.
No job too big or small.

24hr call service: 0600-666 6000
Calls maybe recorded for training purposes.

**Emperors Faithful**

biccat wrote:
Emperors Faithful wrote:
biccat wrote:
Emperors Faithful wrote:If a film was made about Australia being invaded

I'd worry more about New Zealand:

The Indonesian/East Timorese Liberation Force has yet to develop counter-wool weaponry.

"Our flamethrowers are useless!"

This post was so awesome I cried.

Chibi Bodge-Battle wrote:Who you gorra carr?
Kim Jong-il for all your insurgency requirements.
No job too big or small.

Fixed. I'm going to hell (or coming back as a Dung Beetle if there's anything to this reincarnation deal).

**Chibi Bodge-Battle**

Could be worse.
you may be reincarnated as the dung.

**sebster**

Emperors Faithful wrote:Of course, but look at it this way. If a film was made about Australia being invaded (please don't mention Tommorow: When the War Began), which would be more likely? Indonesia or East Timor? Becuase that's the difference in likelihoo we are looking at between China and North Korea invading mainland US.

Both are entirely ludicrous, and that can be okay. Sometimes in order to tell a good story you have to start with something very silly, just throw it out there and say 'now on with the story we want to tell'. There isn't actually a secret school for teaching wizards anywhere in the English countryside, afterall.

I don't know, for me the idea of a Russian, Chinese or North Korean invasion spikes all the same 'this is stupid' button about equally. East Timor and Indonesia invading Australia are both about as silly as well. They're all impossible, but I'm willing to grant them one impossible thing if the following story is well told.

The real problem is that the odds of Red Dawn going on to tell a decent story is really, really unlikely.

**Fafnir**

Won't be worth watching without Charlie Sheen reprising his role.

**FITZZ**

I'm honestly just in head shaking awe that anyone would even bother to remake this film.
I remember going to see the original when it came out (back in the " The Reds are going to get us!! Oh Noes!!" Reagan Era) and thought it was an utterly goofy (if mildly entertaining)
bit of gak.
Of course during that era movies like "The Day After" and "World War III" where on the TV just about every other week..so "Red Dawn" (while ridiculous) wasn't a " Shock" to see.

But here,some twenty some odd years later,I'd have thought the whole " America get's invaded." theme would be played out and laughable....guess not.

**Destrado**

Fafnir wrote:Won't be worth watching without Charlie Sheen reprising his role.

Wouldn't it be White Dawn instead?

**Sir Pseudonymous**

sebster wrote:I don't know, for me the idea of a Russian, Chinese or North Korean invasion spikes all the same 'this is stupid' button about equally.

China at least has the manpower and resources to conceivably do it, if you magic away the whole "the entire planet being turned into a radioactive wasteland if they tried it" thing, and they are an existential threat to the west. That threat is, admittedly, economic subversion, not military invasion, but it could at least be a metaphor for the whole thing or something. North Korea could be wiped out in a day with conventional munitions; assuming that they're a threat to anyone but the people living in Seoul is as ridiculous as claiming tigers came from the moon. China invading is effectively impossible; North Korea invading is just gibbering insanity.

**Crablezworth**

FITZZ wrote: I'm honestly just in head shaking awe that anyone would even bother to remake this film.
I remember going to see the original when it came out (back in the " The Reds are going to get us!! Oh Noes!!" Reagan Era) and thought it was an utterly goofy (if mildly entertaining)
bit of gak.
Of course during that era movies like "The Day After" and "World War III" where on the TV just about every other week..so "Red Dawn" (while ridiculous) wasn't a " Shock" to see.

But here,some twenty some odd years later,I'd have thought the whole " America get's invaded." theme would be played out and laughable....guess not.

At least the original was amazingly violent for a movie with such a young cast. I think they had to make up the pg-13 rating just for it.

What I can't understand is how all these koreans will be speaking mandarin or cantonese..

**Fafnir**

Crablezworth wrote:
What I can't understand is how all these koreans will be speaking mandarin or cantonese..

So long as they're not speaking American, no one will be able to tell the difference.

**schadenfreude**

Any good plot would be highly offensive, so the plot needs to be completely unrealistic to avoid offending anybody.

Offensive and realistic plot #1: Set the movie 25 years or so in the future after a complete economic collapse of the USA as we repeat what happened to the USSR in 1991. China rises to become the worlds #1 super power as our military research remains stagnant for 20 years while their military technology surpasses our own. South Korea and Japan economically collapse alongside the USA. The US military pulls all foreign deployed troops back home, South Korea descends into anarchy and chaos, and the North Koreans take over South Korea. The economy of Mexico completely collapses along with the western powers and the people begin to starve creating the perfect atmosphere for a communist revolution. The US sends troops into Mexico to crush the revolution, but that only makes things worse and it turns the revolution into a full blown insurgency. The insurgency spreads across the border into Latino communities, Department of homeland security over reacts in a bad way that backfires, and the conflict escalates into a communist revolution within the south west region. China being offended at the way we are using our military on civilians sets up a no fly zone, the government of Mexico is lost to communist revolutionaries, and communist hordes start sweeping north across the border. China decides to not get involved with ground troops, but the North Koreans have nothing better to do. While North Korean troops are few in number they have military training which the hordes of communist revolutionaries would not have.

The end result would be realistic, but it would offend everybody. It would piss off the Chinese, and it would really piss off Latino activist groups who would just call it racist and compare it to the racist piece of crap book known as the Turner Diaries. Meanwhile the real racists would piss their pants and then proceed to do something really stupid along the lines of Oklahoma City. At least that is what is going to be going through the head of studio execs and lawyers, which is why most movies are completely unrealistic cesspools of bad writing.

**Chibi Bodge-Battle**

All the bad dudes will be played by British actors any road.
That way nobody gets offended.

Or rather we will be hurt but too polite to complain.
there must be a John Hurt joke in there somewhere

**youbedead**

Remember kids

English accent-villain or starship captain
Irish accents-drunkard who knows how to fight
Scottish- drunkard who knows how to fight but is also a spy
Welsh-they're welsh need i say more

**Chibi Bodge-Battle**

Welsh-they're welsh need i say more

You have most likely said more than you should have already.

**sebster**

Sir Pseudonymous wrote:China at least has the manpower and resources to conceivably do it, if you magic away the whole "the entire planet being turned into a radioactive wasteland if they tried it" thing, and they are an existential threat to the west.

Thing is, China doesn't have the resources. They'd have to cross the Pacific, and each US carrier fleet has more firepower than the entirety of the Chinese navy. China couldn't change this without making offensive military capability their number one priority for at least two decades, probably more. Even then they'd almost certainly lose, because crossing deep blue sea to invade someone else is something you'd only do when you have considerably greater capabilities.

So we're talking about a blink and pretend its real setting assumption, same as pretending there's a secret wizardry school in Harry Potter.

as ridiculous as claiming tigers came from the moon