Things on the set of the Red Dawn remake sure have been jumping lately. Tanks, machine guns, explosions, Chinese invaders, and oh yeah, EXPLOSIONS! Thanks to the great guys over at Red Dawn 2010, we have some fan footage of an explosion from the set of movie as they were filming it as well as some great high quality stills taken by photographer David Guralnick at The Detroit News.

Dan Bradley is making his solo directorial debut with Red Dawn and many people are concerned that he may not have the ability to pull it off. The man does have plenty of 2nd Unit and Stunt Directing experience and it’s that experience that I think will help drive this movie into the “great” category. He oversaw the stunt work in the movies The Bourne Ultimatum, Spider-Man 3, Crank, Cradle 2 the Grave, Donnie Darko and he did 2nd directing on Quantum of Solace, Superman Returns, Three Kings and my personal favorite Critters 3: You are what they eat (hot dang I love that tag line!)

If you aren’t aware, one of the most iconic films of the 80’s is being remade. That doesn’t really narrow it down for you, does it? OK, it was one of the most iconic films of the 80’s AND starred the late great Patrick Swayze. Got it now? Well we are down to two, so it’s either Dirty Dancing or Red Dawn. This original starred both Swayze and Jennifer Grey; dagumit! They were in both of those films; OK fine Red Dawn! I’m talking about Red Dawn people!

Last week we brought you some behind the scenes pictures of what appeared to be a Chinese plane after if crashed through a house on the set of Red Dawn. Now, thanks to the guys over at Red Dawn 2010, we have a first look at some propaganda being distributed by the invading enemy forces. I’ve included three of the more interesting pictures and you can go here for the rest of the collection.*WARNING THESE COULD BE CONSIDERED TO BE MINOR SPOILERS*

In life, there are often enemies that one cannot prepare for, see, or fight against, even after you understand you’re in a battle not just to win, but to live.

This week, we revel in the life and career of Patrick Swayze, a fallen on and off-screen soldier, who took an imposed 4-month death sentence, and turned it into almost 2 years of life that sealed the deal on a legacy full of integrity, memorable roles and scenes that will continue to push the envelope of television and cinema for many years to come.

This is a bittersweet moment for me. First one of the truly last great men of Hollywood, Patrick Swayze, dies (the bitter) from his long battle with cancer yesterday. Then, the day after, we get some behind-the-scenes pictures of the new Red Dawn remake (the sweet) courtesy of a heads-up by our friends at AICN.

I don’t know about you but I’m a HUGE fan of behind-the-scenes pictures and videos and the site Red Dawn 2010 has got them in spades. I’ve put together 5 of the most interesting ones and one video of the house blowing up but if you head over to the website BeforeTheTrailer.com, you can take a peek at the others here and here.

It’s a sad today today as another great actor passes away.

Patrick Swayze, 57, has lost his difficult battle with cancer and passed away today with his family at his side.

The star actor had been diagnosed with pancreatic cancer early last year and while he’d been fighting through it when patients with this type of cancer expect to only live six months, it didn’t stop the cowboy from working and keeping optimistic, acting as an inspiration to everyone around him. It got a lot worse recently and he had been forced to rely on a wheelchair – but he still kept wearing his cowboy hat and not giving up.

Entertainment Weekly is exclusively reporting that MGM’s remake of Red Dawn has just added four more actors to its cast: Josh Hutcherson (Journey to the Center of the Earth), Isabel Lucas (Transformers 2), Edwin Hodge (Mental) and Connor Cruise (Seven Pounds). The four additions join the already announced Chris Hemsworth (who’s also playing the titular hero in Marvel’s Thor), Josh Peck and Adrianne Palicki.

The original 1984 version of Red Dawn was about a bunch of Colorado High School students who team up under the banner of the school football team, The Wolverines, to fight back against Soviet and Cuban troops who invade their school. Directed by John Milius, the film starred Patrick Swayze, C. Thomas Howell, Charlie Sheen, Lea Thompson, Brad Savage, Darren Dalton, and Jennifer Grey.

Here’s a quick look at the roles each new cast member will be playing:

In the wrap up this week:

Harry Potter feels the G-Force at the box office; Mila Kunis is a Black Swan; Michael Keaton is “Ken”; Kurt Russell might be in Red Dawn. Then again he might not; David Cronenberg gets a haircut in Cosmopolis and Money Never Sleeps for Josh Brolin.

Supernatural has a wild season coming up with the Winchester brothers going head to head with Satan / Lucifer / the Devil.  No matter how much we like and root for the Winchesters, I’m not sure how they’re going to pull off taking on the man from down below himself.

With season five dealing with what comes of the final seal being broken, we’re going to be seeing some new faces and a few old faces.

This should be interesting.

Oh Chris Hemsworth. From the moment you heroically piloted the USS Kelvin into the heart of the Romulan mining ship Narada in J.J. Abrams’ Star Trek, we knew you’d be a star.

Within just a few months, you’ve already scored the lead in Thor, one of the most anticipated Marvel films in production, and you’re taking over the reins of the venerable Patrick Swayze in the remake of Red Dawn. Bravo sir. Bravo.

This week:

First there’s The Proposal and then there’s The Hangover; Moneyball gets thrown a curve-ball; Scream 4 isn’t Neve Campbell’s favorite scary movie; it looks like The A-Team won’t be Common and there’s an up and coming Red Dawn.

[UPDATE: Check the bottom of the post for some breaking news on this!]

MGM’s upcoming remake of Red Dawn has snagged two new cast members: Actor Josh Peck (The Wackness) and TV actress Adrianne Palicki (Friday Night Lights) have been added to the “Wolverines” team, alongside the recently announced Chris Hemsworth (Thor), who will be playing the character of Jed, portrayed by Patrick Swayze in the original.

In other Red Dawn news: Latino Review is reporting that the film’s script has undergone a rewrite by none other than “Mr. Tension & Drama” himself, Tony Gilroy!

The “reboot” rumors and news have been flowing out of Hollywood recently faster than people leaving the Florida Keys before a hurricane. Some I’m not too keen on: Cliffhanger, Hellraiser, and Nightmare on Elm Street; others I’m looking forward to: Red Dawn, Fantastic Four, and Predator.

One particular reboot, Red Dawn, is now that much closer to becoming a reality since picking a lead actor. According Kellvin Chavez at Latino Review, Chris Hemsworth (Star Trek, Thor), has landed the role of lead Wolverine Jed Eckert in the upcoming MGM movie, helmed by Dan Bradley and written by Carl Ellsworth (The Last House on the Left).

The lion is hungry and it seems to be roaring again as projects like The Cabin in the Woods and a Red Dawn remake are on Mary Parent’s clip board.

Mary Parent is getting right on track in MGM these days since she was named the chair of their Worldwide Motion Picture Group back in March.

One item that she’s given the green light to on her clipboard is the project called The Cabin in the Woods.