Josh Hutcherson, Chris Hemsworth Photos from Red Dawn

How long has Red Dawn been on the shelf? It was shot way, way back in 2009, long before the film’s stars Chris Hemsworth and Josh Hutcherson signed on to major blockbuster franchises. Since shooting Red Dawn, Hemsworth’s gone on to star in Thor, The Avengers, and Snow White and the Huntsman. Meanwhile Hutcherson’s taken on one of the leads in The Hunger Games series, playing Peeta Mellark opposite Jennifer Lawrence as Katniss Everdeen.

Since filming wrapped in 2009, Red Dawn‘s release date has been shuffled around, mostly due to MGM’s financial problems. And in addition to losing its original theatrical release date, this Red Dawn lost its main villains. During shooting, the enemy was the Chinese. The version we’ll eventually see in theaters on November 2, 2012 has been altered to replace the Chinese with North Koreans.

The Plot:

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.

The cast also includes Adrianne Palicki, Josh Peck, Isabel Lucas, Connor Cruise, and Jeffrey Dean Morgan.