Imagine, you’re midway through shooting a movie in which China invades the U.S. and all that stands in its way of national domination is a small group of teens. You might think that sentence sums up your biggest problem, but you’re wrong.
Portions of the script and photos from the set have been leaked in China, one of your biggest potential markets, and the Chinese are not pleased.
The Beijing-based Global Times, which always has much to say about Sino-U.S. issues, shouts “U.S. Reshoots Cold War Movie to Demonize China,” and “American Movie Plants Hostile Seeds Against China,” on successive days in its pages.
“Despite the world’s focus on U.S.-China relations in the strategic and economic dialogue and their increasing economic connections, China can still feel U.S. distrust and fear, especially among its people. Americans’ suspicions about China are the best ground for the hawks to disseminate fear and doubt, which is the biggest concern with the movie Red Dawn.” — Global Times, Beijing
MGM postponed the planned 2010 release of the movie due to financial difficulties but later went on to schedule a 2011 release. Now it’s due out later this year, hitting U.S. screens on November 2, and there’s a change: the baddies are no longer China but North Korea.
Here’s what Open Road Films, the MGM unit that will release the movie, has to say about it:
In Red Dawn, a city in Washington state awakens to the surreal sight of foreign paratroopers dropping from the sky – shockingly, the U.S. has been invaded and their hometown is the initial target. Quickly and without warning, the citizens find themselves prisoners and their town under enemy occupation. Determined to fight back, a group of young patriots seek refuge in the surrounding woods, training and reorganizing themselves into a guerilla group of fighters. Taking inspiration from their high school mascot, they call themselves the Wolverines, banding together to protect one another, liberate their town from its captors, and take back their freedom.
If this sounds a little familiar, check out Homefront. The computer game was modeled on a North Korean invasion of the U.S. in 2027.
Here’s a taster of the upcoming movie:
It’s slightly amusing how similar the content of DPRK & USA war movies are. Both countries produce much the same content, just the black hats and white hats are exchanged. I think I will give this movie a miss!