Drumline | |
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Theatrical release poster
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Directed by | Charles Stone III |
Produced by |
Dallas Austin Timothy M. Bourne Wendy Finerman Jody Gerson Greg Mooradian |
Written by | Tina Gordon Chism Shawn Schepps |
Starring |
Nick Cannon stunts by Nicholas Jaet Zoë Saldaña Orlando Jones Leonard Roberts |
Music by | John Powell |
Cinematography | Shane Hurlbut |
Edited by | Patricia Bowers Bill Pankow |
Distributed by |
20th Century Fox Fox 2000 Pictures |
Release date
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Running time
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118 minutes |
Country | United States |
Language | English |
Budget | $20 million |
Box office | $57.6 million |
Drumline (soundtrack) | |
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Soundtrack album by Various Artists | |
Released | December 10, 2002 |
Genre |
Hip hop R&B |
Length | 61:31 |
Label | Jive Records |
Producer | Various Artists |
Singles from Drumline (soundtrack) | |
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Drumline is a 2002 American musical comedy-drama film directed by Charles Stone III. The screenplay, a fictional story based upon North Carolina A&T State University's Blue and Gold Marching Machine band, and their drum line Cold Steel, was written by Tina Gordon Chism and Shawn Schepps. The story is about a young drummer from New York, played by Nick Cannon, who enters the fictional Atlanta A&T University and bumps heads with the leader of his new school's drum section. Leonard Roberts, Zoe Saldana, and Orlando Jones co-star.
The film received generally positive reviews, with most critics praising the energy of the film, as well as the musical talents of the bands. It was a modest box office success, earning over $56 million in the U.S., and almost $1.2 million in foreign markets. A television sequel, Drumline: A New Beat premiered on VH1 on October 27, 2014.
The film centers on Devon Miles (Cannon), a teen who has just graduated from a high school in New York City. Upon graduating, Devon heads to Atlanta, Georgia to attend the fictitious Atlanta A&T University (based on North Carolina A&T), a historically black college that takes enormous pride in its marching band. Devon was personally invited to attend on full scholarship by Dr. James Lee (Jones), head of the band, for his prodigious talents. The A&T band separates itself from its competitors by requiring all members to read music, by focusing on various styles of music rather than what music is currently popular on the radio, and dedication to the teamwork emphasized "one band, one sound" concept. The band has a preseason that is similar to an athletic team's induction in that it is very physically and mentally difficult. It challenges all recruits to push themselves past what they previously thought were their limits. At the end of preseason, the musicians audition for spots on the field, and Devon is the only freshman to make P1, the highest level player. While going through his rigorous process, Devon also finds time to romance an upperclassman dancer, Laila (Saldana).