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MGM Splits Theatrical and Home Video to Stay Solvent

Damon Houx — Fri, 15 Apr 2011 01:04:50 +0000

When MGM shipwrecked last spring, it left the fate of The Hobbit, James Bond and two unreleased films in question (Cabin the Woods, Red Dawn). As of today, the company has figured out their release plans for the current and older titles. Sony will handle the theatrical distribution and Fox will handle their home video. Unknown in this split is when Cabin or Dawn will see the light of day.

MGM has been in a weak position for years as a mini-major, but was able to bolster itself when the DVD boom hit by getting DVD’s in supermarkets. When people were curious about DVD’s, this was a major win for the studio. But as time wore on, they were unable to keep up theatrically. These problems were noticable when Casino Royale was released, which was distributed theatrically by Sony – who also handled the theatrical release of Quantum of Solace.

For Fox, their catalog DVD and Blu-ray titles seemed like a good deal a couple of years ago, but the value of that back catalog has decreased with the value of home video sales. That said, a lot of their catalog films are considered perennials, and it’s easier to move a Blu-ray of Some Like it Hot or the Bond titles than most. They have good collector-centric titles.

Nothing has been said about their unreleased films, but likely Sony will give them a once-over and see where to slot them next year. At this point they’ve been sitting around for so long that it’s hard to hold it against them… it’s not like they were sitting around because they were bad and now it’s a situation of “when” instead of “if.” Sony wanted Bond, and likely their catalog remake rights. In an era of franchises, few films have stood the test of time, and have been consistent moneymakers globally like Bond, so it’s not a bad get.

But for fans this means only one thing: More Bond.

Are you happy to hear the Lion roar again?

Red Dawn is a 21st Century Film

Damon Houx — Fri, 18 Mar 2011 19:22:31 +0000

Earlier this week it was made public that MGM’s Red Dawn remake would change its villains from the Chinese to North Koreans. In damage control mode, one of the producers (Tripp Vinson) reached out to Jeremy Smith of Ain’t It Cool News to offer the why of why this happened. He says it’s because that’s what game theorists thought was more likely.

The money quote:

The changes made to Red Dawn in the last few weeks were made in consultation with military think tanks and people that specialize in game theory. Really smart people that spend their days constructing doomsday scenarios for our military and government. The type of people that know the limitations of the North Korean military. The type of people that can project a series of events that could lead to some very scary things happening to our Country. I can assure you, we listened well to those people, especially with regards to the capability of the North Korean military.

MGM has been been on the ropes for years now, and Red Dawn has been sitting in a can for a while. Finding a villain for a film like this was easier in the the 1980′s – Russia was the obvious big threat to America and its way of life, so making them a villain in anything was an easy sell for the domestic market.

But the games and stakes have changed. Without Russia as the boogeyman America has no clear enemy that it isn’t already at war with, but the nature of war has changed. Sure, America is at war with the Taliban – but no one would believe they would have the man-power for an all-0ut invasion. The same goes for most of the Middle East. And China (for better or ill) was different and communist enough to make them a credible threat.

Unfortunately the politics of casting China as the enemy were never good. America has a working but awkward relationship with that great power in the East, and for a film to be a success it’s important not to write off the international marketplace. Recently we’ve seen The Karate Kid remake, which was set in China, and gave the country a number of sweeping vista shots. The results were a film that made a little more money internationally than nationally ($176 domestic, $182 international).

The conversation was damage control, but even with changes the film still isn’t on the release calender. Hopefully (for the film at least) these changes will lead to the film’s eventual release.

Does changing the bad guys from Chinese to Korean make you want to see the Red Dawn remake more or less?

MGM Alters ‘Red Dawn’ Remake To Avoid Offending China

traviswoods — Wed, 16 Mar 2011 19:18:05 +0000

Realizing that in ten years China will own, well, everything, MGM has decided that it might not be the most advantageous idea in the world to have the increasingly super superpower invade the United States in its upcoming remake of Red Dawn (and yet, they somehow think it’s a good idea to actually remake Red Dawn, a Patrick Swayze film about high school students who repel a Communist invasion of the states. Yup).

The AV Club reports that “although China has not made any official protest about the movie’s swapping in Chinese invaders for the original’s Soviet forces,” producers of Red Dawn are now scrambling to reshoot scenes from the already in-the-can remake, “altering dialogue, and digitally scrubbing all flags and military symbols so as not to jeopardize their ability to receive lucrative distribution deals and future financing from the rising superpower.”

So it now looks like the hostile aggressors in the film will now be North Koreans, because everyone knows it’d be safer to piss off a country led by a power-mad dictator armed to the teeth with nuclear weapons rather than China, a country which, thus far, hasn’t ground its wheels of progress to a halt over being mentioned as a villain in a movie about goddamn teenagers fighting off a Communist invasion (probably because it’s a movie about goddamn teenagers fighting off a Communist invasion). Progress?

What do you think of the revamping of Red Dawn to exclude the Chinese threat?

Red Dawn Set Photos

Krystal Clark — Mon, 05 Oct 2009 17:17:44 +0000

As a native Michigander, the current production of the Red Dawn remake is a little exciting. The film is being shot in Pontiac, Michigan and if you’re familiar with the city, you know this is the biggest thing they’ve had going on for a while. Just like the original film, the remake will center on the invasion of a Communist regime on U.S. soil and this time China will be the country of choice as opposed to the Soviet Union.

Take a look at some of the set photos from the film…

To browse our gallery, select any photo and it will enlarge and then allow you to scroll through the photos…

As you can tell from these photos the propaganda featured in the film will be pretty heavy. The original Red Dawn starred Patrick Swayze and Charlie Sheen, while the remake will feature Chris Hemsworth, Josh Peck, and Jeffrey Dean Morgan. The film is directed by Dan Bradley, and is scheduled for release on September 24, 2010.

What do you think of the set photos from Red Dawn?

Source: Red Dawn 2010

Jeffrey Dean Morgan Wants Lobo, Cast in Red Dawn

Krystal Clark — Mon, 14 Sep 2009 06:40:15 +0000

Jeffrey Dean Morgan is starting to get drunk with comic book power. The actor already starred as The Comedian in this year’s Watchmen, he’s currently shooting a role in The Losers, and now he wants in on Guy Ritchie‘s Lobo? According to Superherohype, the actor is interested in playing the lead role in the recently announced Warner Bros production. Has he been bitten by the same bug as Ryan Reynolds? How many superheroes can he play?

According to Morgan,”They’re making ‘Lobo’ right now,” offered JDM, “That would be cool. ‘Lobo’ would be very cool. I don’t think that I’m as big as Lobo is, but if you could, like, transplant Mickey Rourke’s body on my head, that would be just great.”

With this type of interest being thrown around, the actor knows people might begin to think he’s obsessed with comic based material.

“You’re always looking for material that’s kind of smart and fun and this seems to be where it is right now,” says the actor in regards to his interest in so many comic book properties, “The studios are really gravitating towards it, more than I’ve ever seen them gravitate towards anything in a long time. Comic books are really the thing right now and I don’t see that going away for at least the next couple of years.”

We’re still waiting on some new info regarding his live action adaptation of The Losers, which is based on the DC/Vertigo comic of the same name. We’ll have more info on that project as it becomes available. Isn’t there a cardinal rule about playing various superhero characters, or does that only count if their really iconic? For example you couldn’t have Christopher Reeve playing the Green Lantern because we already saw him as Superman.

On another note, the actor has landed a part in the upcoming remake of the eighties cult film, Red Dawn. According to EW, Morgan is in talks to play Lt. Andrew Tanner, a role originated by Powers Boothe. He’ll star alongside Chris Hemsworth and Josh Peck in the film that’s already begun production, while he’s still on the set of The Losers. Somebody is a busy bee and I think it’s Mr. Morgan.

Could Jeffrey Dean Morgan pull off Lobo? What do you think about him joining the Red Dawn reamke?

Tom Cruise’s Son Cast in Red Dawn Remake

Krystal Clark — Mon, 10 Aug 2009 15:30:49 +0000

The casting for the remake of 1984′s Red Dawn has expanded significantly! As we previously reported, Chris Hemsworth, Adrianne Palicki, and Josh Peck signed on to star in the film, and now they will be joined by four more young actors. Connor Cruise, the son of Tom Cruise and Nicole Kidman has been cast along with Josh Hutcherson, Isabel Lucas (Transformers Revenge of the Fallen), and Edwin Hodge.

Tony Gilroy’s Rewriting Red Dawn?!

Krystal Clark — Thu, 18 Jun 2009 15:04:31 +0000

How did the people behind the Red Dawn remake manage to swing this?! According to Latino Review, Tony Gilroy is on board to rewrite the screenplay for the film. That’s right, two-time Academy award nominee Tony Gilroy will actually involve himself with such a thing. It turns out that the screenwriter has been brought in to polish the script originally penned by Carl Ellsworth and Jeremy Passmore.

Gilroy wrote the screenplays for the Bourne Trilogy, while Red Dawn’s helmer Dan Bradley was the second unit director on The Bourne Ultimatum. I will admit that not all of Gilroy’s works have been revered as much as 2007′s Michael Clayton. He’s had his hand in the screenplays for Armageddon, Proof of Life, and even a little known comedy from 2000 called Bait that starred future Oscar winner Jamie Foxx. I guess you can balance the good with the bad with him.

I honestly don’t know where I stand when it comes to Red Dawn anymore. I wasn’t at all interested before, but now I’m a bit curious as to what Gilroy will add to it. Even though he’s made some suspect choices in the past I can’t ignore the man who wrote the Bourne movies, I love that franchise! I know he’s capable of creating a multi-layered story that can serve an action film, I just didn’t plan on that film being Red Dawn. Bring on Bourne 4!

What do you think of Tony Gilroy doing rewrites for Red Dawn?

Josh Peck and Adrianne Palicki Join Red Dawn Remake

Krystal Clark — Wed, 17 Jun 2009 02:30:35 +0000

Watch out everybody there is movement on the Red Dawn remake front. The 1980′s film which is known for taking the Cold War to the classroom has just added two new cast members to it’s roster. According to EW, Josh Peck, and Adrianne Palicki will join Chris Hemsworth in the remake of the 1984 feature. I’m still in disbelief that this film is being made, but there’s more to the story after the jump.

Red Dawn will be directed by Dan Bradley and will star Hemsworth as Jed Eckert, whom was previously portrayed by Patrick Swayze. His younger brother Matt Eckert will be played by Josh Peck, taking over for Charlie Sheen, while Adrianne Palicki will star as Toni Mason, a role previously occupied by Jennifer Gray. Hemsworth could become a household name after this film and his title role in the Marvel comic adaptation, Thor. Josh Peck is a former child star of Nickelodeon fame (Drake and Josh) who’s made the transition to adult roles via films such as The Wackness. Adrianne Palicki is best known for being a regular on the NBC football series, Friday Night Lights.

I’m not even going to go into a rant about how much Peck and Hemsworth look nothing alike, because Patrick Swayze and Charlie Sheen weren’t exactly twins in the first movie. With these three down they’ve got a good three more to go if they plan on filling out all the main roles from the original. I’ve got a bad feeling about this in the pit of my stomach, but there’s nothing we can do about it now.

What do you think of the cast for the Red Dawn remake?

Missing in Action… Again

Krystal Clark — Fri, 06 Mar 2009 17:00:19 +0000

It wouldn’t be a normal week in entertainment news if I didn’t report on a film remake at some point. Today’s target is the 1984 Chuck Norris vehicle Missing in Action. According to THR, MGM and the WWE are currently developing a straight to DVD version of the action flick. I’m happy that this won’t be in theaters, because the WWE’s films are less than stellar. I don’t want to have to sit through promotional trailers for this thing. Read more about the remake after the jump.

In the original Missing in Action Chuck Norris starred as a “Col. James Braddock, a POW of the Viet Cong who escapes Southeast Asia and heads back to liberate other U.S. captives.” The film spawned a franchise which included the sequels Missing in Action II: The Beginning, and Braddock: Missing in Action III. I always thought it would be funny if they came out with a fourth film called Missing in Action IV: Let’s Get Physical!

The remake will take place in Iraq as opposed to Vietnam to reflect the current military status of the U.S. The writer for the film is Jeremy Passmore who’s also penning the theatrical remake of 1984′s Red Dawn. Missing in Action is going straight to DVD, but Red Dawn can hit theaters? That movie was horrible. I mean horrible!

Do you think Missing in Action should stay missing or are you down for another round?

ScreenCrave.com » red dawn

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