Drummer Boy Trailer Revealed by Angel

Angel today revealed the trailer for Drummer Boy, which is set during the American Revolutionary War and opens in theaters nationwide on November 6, 2026. In the film, as America’s fight for independence begins, two brothers on opposite sides of the battlefield and an enslaved woman each search for freedom in a world built to deny it.

Hopeful music is woven throughout this epic adventure of love and sacrifice set against the backdrop of the founding of a nation, highlighting a deeply human story of faith, forgiveness, and the belief that no person is born to live in chains, of body or soul.

Brothers Ben Smallbone and Joel David Smallbone co-direct Drummer Boy, and the film carries the emotional resonance of a lifetime of collaboration. Joel also stars. He is best known as one half of for KING + COUNTRY, the four-time Grammy Award-winning duo, and starred in Unsung Hero and Journey to Bethlehem.

Ben directs beside him following his work on Homestead, a hit for Angel. Together with their other brother, Luke, the Smallbones deepen the film’s authenticity, drawing on their experiences of brotherhood.

Lucas Leach (Crookhaven) portrays Joel’s on-screen brother and rival. Their story is the emotional engine of the film, with a bond tested by opposing loyalties.

The acclaimed ensemble cast includes India Brown (Invasion), Ioan Gruffudd (Fantastic Four, Amazing Grace), Melora Hardin (The Office, Monk), Iain Glen (Game of Thrones), Charles Esten (Nashville, Outer Banks), Beth Easdown, and Olivier Award winner Beverley Knight (Cinderella).

“Telling a story about a family divided, alongside my brothers, as both a director and an actor, is among the most rewarding work of my life,” said Joel David Smallbone, co-director and star of Drummer Boy.

“The sweeping storytelling with striking music will prompt audiences to claim it as their new favorite holiday tradition and, I hope, favorite musical.”

“From the first page, we set out to create the epic scale of a war juxtaposed with the emotive story of brothers at odds,” said Ben Smallbone, co-director of Drummer Boy. “Along the way, they discover that the forgiveness born at Christmas is their only hope.”

“Drummer Boy is Angel’s first live-action theatrical musical, and we are bringing it to the big screen with an exceptional team of filmmakers and creative partners,” said Brandon Purdie, Executive Vice President of Theatrical at Angel. “This is a milestone for Angel and a reflection of what the Angel Guild champions: bold, distinctive stories meant to be experienced in theaters.”