The forthcoming remake of Red Dawn, the 1984 film in which American teenagers band together to fight invading Soviet forces, will feature a North Korean invasion of the United States, not a Russian one, similar to just-released shooter Homefront. Why is that so interesting? Because they already shot the film as a Chinese invasion of the States.
The filmâs producers are in the process of digitally altering the new Red Dawn, originally slated for release last year. Theyâre erasing all Chinese military imagery and changing dialogue to make the filmâs aggressors North Korean, reports the LA Times. Studio execs were concerned about Chinese leadership being offended by the war flick and losing a billion potential viewers over Red Dawnâs choice of villain.
âMGM has been working with the film âRed Dawnâsâ director and producers to make the most commercially viable version of the film for audiences worldwide,â said Mike Vollman, executive vice president of worldwide marketing to the LA Times. âWe want to ensure the most people possible are able to experience it.â
Publisher THQ shared similar concerns when it chose a unified Korean invasion over a Chinese attack on U.S. soil for first-person shooter Homefront. Their game originally called for a Chinese invasion, but execs said China was just ânot that scary.â
But it too was worried about Chinaâs reception to Homefront.
âThe guys in our Chinese office said: Did you know that everybody on the exec team will be banned from coming into China for the rest of your lives?,â executive Danny Bilson told Kotaku earlier this year. âThey were afraid the ministry of culture was going to wipe us out.â
Both Homefront and the original Red Dawn were co-written by screenwriter John Milius. Milius is not directly involved in the sequel.
We recently reviewed Homefront and found it solid, but ultimately disappointing.
Reel China: Hollywood tries to stay on Chinaâs good side [LA Times]
