“Wolverines!” The single word is a rallying cry to anyone familiar with ‘80s cult hit Red Dawn, which starred Patrick Swayze, C. Thomas Howell, Lea Thompson, and Charlie Sheen. Let’s see - ‘80s flick, cult hit, memorable catchphrase - yup, must be time for a remake.

MGM has targeted Red Dawn for an updated remake and brought Carl Ellsworth (Red Eye, Disturbia) on board to script it out. The original story played heavily on Cold War paranoia by starting the third world war with an invasion on American soil. There’s still something chilling about the image of soldiers parachuting down into the high school’s back field to those of us who lived in that time. You can’t argue Ellsworth’s logic for a remake though: ” "The tone is going to be very intense, very much keeping in mind the post-9/11 world that we're in. As Red Dawn scared the heck out of people in 1984, we feel that the world is kind of already filled with a lot of paranoia and unease, so why not scare the hell out of people again?"

Dan Bradley, who has served as a second unit director on films like Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull and Spider-Man 2 will helm the Red Dawn remake, making the movie his first stint as a film’s primary director.

The Hollywood Reporter article announcing Ellsworth and Bradley’s roles describes Red Dawn as part of a strong MGM library that can be exploited for a new audience. Interesting choice of words there. Not reinvent, not remake, but exploit. That’s because movies like Red Dawn is a classic for many people. While I agree the movie could be remade into something contemporary and relevant, this definitely feels like it’s being driven by exploitation, not cultural relevance. Hopefully Ellsworth can make it something good and not just something that rapes the movies of our childhood.

Just please keep in the rallying cry, “Wolverines!” That's something that any generation can get behind.