After many years in limbo, Variety reports that the remake of the 1980’s mega-hit Red Dawn will hit theaters on November 2, 2012.

We admit it. We’re fans of the original (movie fact: It was the first movie ever distributed with a PG-13 rating), and have been anxiously awaiting the release of Red Dawn (2012), for several years. It was originally slated to be Red Dawn (2009).

For those who have been following the movie developments, you may recall that the original remake, completed in 2009, involved the invasion of the United States by the People’s Republic Of China (the 80’s version featured an invasion by Soviets supported by Cubans). After internet protests by Chinese bloggers, executives at MGM and Sony reportedly caved to the political correctness necessitated by our being China’s premier debtor  and edited out the Chinese aspects of the movie and replaced the Chinese Red Army with that of North Korea at a cost of some $1 million. Apparently, the Chinese box office is expected to bring in a huge chunk of change, which is purported to be the real reason behind the modifications, as we can’t have Chinese audiences seeing their heroes lose World War III to a bunch of high school guerrilla rebels.

Fox News Reports:

Fans of the original will recall memorable appearances by notable Hollywood actors like Patrick Swayze, Charlie Sheen, Lea Thompson and C. Thomas Howell. The cast for the upcoming release will include a host of new comers, including Tom Cruise’s adopted son, Connor Cruise, as well as rising stars like Thor’s Chris Hemsworth.

No official trailers have been available, but we suspect with the November 2nd release date approaching we’ll begin to see some soon. The following trailer comes from Cintex Productions and was actually created about two years before the remake was completed. It gives us the jist of the story and, for die hard Red Dawn fans, is quite exciting, but is not official.

In the meantime, enjoy the trailer, and for those who missed it, the original Red Dawn (1984) full version is made available below. If you’re looking for a weekend movie, you may have just found it.

Red Dawn (2012) Unofficial Trailer
[Original script and filming involved an invasion by the Chinese army, but was later changed to North Korea]

Red Dawn (1984) Full Version (via Google video)
[Sorry, No subtitles for Russian/Cuban dialogue]

WOLVERINES!