Manny the Movie Guy goes behind the scenes of the ambitious Christmas musical with directors Ben and Joel Smallbone and stars Melora Hardin, Ioan Gruffudd, Iain Glen, India Brown, and Lucas Leach.

By Manny the Movie Guy | November 6, 2026

What do you get when you combine the American Revolution, a beloved Christmas carol, a family torn apart by war, and the soaring musical sensibilities of for KING + COUNTRY? You get Drummer Boy, an ambitious historical musical that asks a deceptively simple question: What does freedom mean if we cannot find the courage to forgive?

Opening in theaters November 6 from Angel Studios, Drummer Boy takes the familiar emotional resonance of “Little Drummer Boy” and transforms it into a sweeping story of brothers divided by conflicting loyalties, a mother struggling to preserve her family, and an enslaved woman determined to claim the freedom that a newly emerging nation promises but does not extend to everyone.

Directed by brothers Ben Smallbone and Joel David Smallbone, the film blends Revolutionary War spectacle with contemporary musical storytelling. But beneath its battles, costumes, and stirring songs lies something more intimate: a story about the wounds we inflict upon one another and the difficult work of reconciliation.

I recently sat down with the filmmakers and principal cast for three exclusive conversations about the movie, its music, and the personal experiences that helped shape its emotional landscape.

Ben Smallbone: A Family Affair Behind the Camera

For Ben Smallbone, Drummer Boy is more than another directing assignment. It is a particularly personal collaboration with his brother Joel, who serves as co-director and stars as Jeremiah Clem.

And if the Smallbone name sounds familiar, it should.

I previously interviewed Joel and Luke Smallbone about Unsung Hero, the 2024 film inspired by their family’s remarkable journey from Australia to the United States. Now, with Ben joining the conversation, the Smallbone family tradition continues.

There is a fascinating symmetry in brothers directing a movie about brothers whose relationship is tested by war. The filmmakers are drawing upon the intimacy of a lifelong bond to explore what happens when love and loyalty collide with ideological differences.

The film also represents a considerable expansion of the musical world associated with for KING + COUNTRY. What began with the enduring appeal of “Little Drummer Boy” has grown into a historical musical combining battlefield drama, family conflict, and a Christmas message.

During our conversation, we explored the creative journey from song to screen, the advantages and occasional complications of directing alongside a sibling, and the importance of forgiveness in a world increasingly defined by division.

WATCH: MANNY’S EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW WITH DIRECTOR BEN SMALLBONE

Melora Hardin, Ioan Gruffudd, and Iain Glen: The Emotional Weight of War

While Drummer Boy unfolds against the backdrop of a revolution, its most consequential battles are often fought within the family.

Melora Hardin, beloved for her unforgettable portrayal of Jan Levinson on The Office, plays Rachel Clem, a mother confronting the devastating reality of watching her sons take opposing sides in a national conflict.

Hardin brings both dramatic and musical experience to a character whose emotional struggle provides an important counterpoint to the film’s spectacle. Rachel’s predicament raises a question that transcends historical circumstances: How does a parent protect the people she loves when the world seems determined to pull them apart?

Ioan Gruffudd, whose previous historical performances include Amazing Grace and Hornblower, portrays Nathaniel Clem, the family patriarch. His role connects the personal stakes of the Clem household with the larger political upheaval transforming the colonies.

Then there is Iain Glen, instantly recognizable to Game of Thrones audiences as Ser Jorah Mormont. In Drummer Boy, he plays Major John Ambrose, a military figure whose relationship with young Benjamin Clem introduces another dimension to the film’s exploration of courage.

What makes these characters interesting is the contrast between the public demands of war and the private consequences of those demands. Military duty, parental responsibility, compassion, and personal conviction do not always lead people in the same direction.

In our conversation, we explored the emotional responsibilities of portraying a family under siege, the challenge of bringing contemporary music into an eighteenth-century setting, and the idea that compassion can be as meaningful an expression of courage as battlefield heroism.

And yes, I couldn’t resist asking Iain about the delicious irony of a British actor participating in a musical about the American Revolution.

WATCH: MANNY’S EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW WITH MELORA HARDIN, IOAN GRUFFUDD, AND IAIN GLEN

Joel Smallbone, India Brown, and Lucas Leach: Freedom Is More Than Independence

At the center of Drummer Boy are Jeremiah and Benjamin Clem, played by Joel David Smallbone and Lucas Leach.

The brothers’ opposing allegiances turn the Revolutionary War into a deeply personal conflict, one in which the struggle for national independence threatens the bonds of family.

For Joel, the film represents another chapter in his expanding creative career. Beyond his musical success with brother Luke in for KING + COUNTRY, he has increasingly embraced acting and filmmaking, most notably with Unsung Hero.

Reuniting with Joel for this interview was especially enjoyable because Drummer Boy returns to a theme that also informed our earlier conversation: the extraordinary power of family, both as a source of strength and as a subject for storytelling.

Lucas Leach, meanwhile, portrays Benjamin, the young drummer boy whose experiences force him to confront the realities of war and the meaning of bravery. His character provides a youthful perspective on events that are far larger and more complicated than any one individual can fully comprehend.

But one of the film’s most significant perspectives belongs to India Brown, who plays Emmaline, an enslaved woman pursuing her own freedom.

Her story introduces an essential historical contradiction. The American Revolution proclaimed the ideals of liberty and independence while slavery remained embedded in colonial society.

That tension gives Emmaline’s journey a significance extending beyond the central conflict between the Clem brothers. Her struggle reminds us that the language of freedom has not always been matched by its universal application.

It also invites a more searching consideration of the film’s central message. Forgiveness may be transformative, but it does not erase injustice, nor does it eliminate the responsibility to confront it.

In our conversation, we explored Emmaline’s dignity and determination, Benjamin’s coming-of-age journey, and Joel’s experience balancing acting, directing, and music in a production of considerable ambition.

We also discussed the enduring influence of “Little Drummer Boy” and the remarkable journey from a familiar Christmas song to a cinematic story set amid the birth of a nation.

WATCH: MANNY’S EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW WITH JOEL DAVID SMALLBONE, INDIA BROWN, AND LUCAS LEACH

A Christmas Story About the Courage to Reconnect

There is something intriguing about placing a Christmas musical in the middle of the American Revolution.

Christmas stories traditionally emphasize generosity, compassion, reconciliation, and hope. War, by its very nature, exposes humanity’s capacity for division, destruction, and suffering.

Drummer Boy brings these contrasting ideas together, using music to connect the historical and the deeply personal.

Its approach is not conventional historical realism. Instead, the film uses the expressive possibilities of the musical to explore emotions that might otherwise remain unspoken.

The result is a story interested not simply in the birth of a nation, but in the complicated relationships between freedom, responsibility, family, and forgiveness.

And perhaps that is the most enduring idea behind Drummer Boy: Winning a battle and healing a relationship are two very different kinds of victory.

As the holiday season approaches, the film offers audiences an invitation to consider both.

Drummer Boy is now playing in theaters through Angel Studios. The film is rated PG-13 for war violence and some bloody images.

Watch all three of Manny the Movie Guy’s exclusive interviews above, and visit MannyTheMovieGuy.com for more movie reviews, celebrity conversations, and entertainment news.