In 2002, the film "Drumline," shot in Atlanta and starring newcomer Nick Cannon, became a surprise hit, generating $56 million in theater revenues.
Over the years, the film became a beloved favorite and repeated well whenever networks - including VH1 - aired it. So last year, VH1 executives joined with original producers from the film and Cannon to come up with an updated version for 2014.
Devon Miles, Cannon's charismatic character who became a drumline leader at a fictional historically black Atlanta college A&T, has gone on to become a famous music producer, similar to acclaimed Atlanta producer Dallas Austin, who the character was loosely based on. Devon makes a pivotal appearance in the new film, though he is not a central character.
"I feel it's synonymous with my own life," Cannon said on set in April. "It was my first starring feature film. I'm now a producer on the film. I got to wear my own clothes and jewelry and stuff. Devon's done really well for himself."
In the film, Devon tells the band, "Work ethic. Drive. Teamwork. I learned all of that right here. Until you all learn that, you ain't nowhere going to get near a trophy!"
Jill Holmes, a senior vice president for production and development at VH1, said Cannon was reluctant at first to be in the film but realized it was a way to bring in fans of the original movie and bridge the generations. "We all love Devon," she said. "I think it adds great credibility and richness to the movie to have him come back."
Devon's rival and now buddy Sean Taylor, played again by Leonard Roberts, is now the new head of A&T's marching band, hoping to bring it back to its glory days. The lead character this time is Dani, a female drummer from New York (played by Alexandra Shipp in her first lead role in a film). She skips Spelman College in favor of A&T just because of the band. Dani is confident and headstrong like Devon and gets herself in similar trouble as she faces sexism on the male-dominated drumline. And she gets a love interest, too, of course.
Cannon - a multi-faceted performer who acts, sings, does stand-up comedy and hosts "America's Got Talent"- doesn't characterize "A New Beat" as a sequel but "a new chapter."
"My thing is I wanted to tell a brand new story and one for this generation," he said. "It's all about breaking down barriers and blazing new trails with its own original spin."
Credit: Rodney Ho
Credit: Rodney Ho
He said he pushed for a dynamic, inspirational female lead knowing that VH1 is geared to female viewers. Cannon said if the film does well on VH1, he would look to turn it into a television series.
Executive producer Wendy Finerman, who was involved in both "Drumline" films, said during the shoot that the first movie introduced the world of drumlines on historically black colleges. "Now they've seen it and are familiar with it," she said. "It's been brought to the mainstream. It's now more about the story of the kids than explaining the world they live in."
This is a TV movie with a considerably smaller budget than the original. Finerman said "above-the-line" costs (directors, screenwriters, actors) were far lower. Shooting schedules were tighter as well, but the learning curve was less steep since so many people were involved in the first film. The Georgia tax credits certainly help as well.
"We have the advantage of having Nick in place,' she said. "Use the Nick machine and attention. We already know what people like and don't like. We know what music selections to make. We know how to physically attack the beast. You edit more efficiently. You shoot more efficiently."
Plus, they didn't need nearly as many extras because technology has made it easier to create huge crowds where there were none. Twelve years ago, they had 40,000 extras show up at the Georgia Dome for the film's climactic Battle of the Bands classic. This time, in a major budgetary concession, they held the final classic at the much smaller Clark Atlanta's field, where they mostly shot away from the stands and avoided having to show huge crowds more than a few times.
Credit: Rodney Ho
Credit: Rodney Ho
The film also features a gay character who falls for a football player, with a kiss that might have caused a stir a decade ago but not anymore. "It's not a big deal," she said. Being gay "is just part of his personality."
Shipp said the technical aspects of being a great drummer was a challenge (though she did have a double for some of the drumming.) Most of the band members around the actors are actual members from local historically black college marching bands.
"When we are marching, our feet are pointed," she said. "We make sure our faces are the right faces. We're glancing around and making sure we're on the right step. At the end of the day, we're supposed to be the technical best."
During the shoot, she said her character picked up advice from Devon: "You have to learn to follow before you can lead."
"That's the torch he passed to Dani," Shipp said.
TV preview
"Drumline: A New Beat," 9 p.m. Monday, October 27, VH1
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