AXDN (2003 film)

Directed by
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***AXDN*** is a 2003 American animated science fiction film produced by Dakona Motion Pictures for Paramount Pictures. It was directed by John Rossino from a screenplay John Rossino, Tom Drake, and John Hughes, and a story by Rossino. The sixth feature film from Dakona. Set in the year 2245, the film follows a Heroball athlete who discovers the corrupt agenda of the World District, the administrator of the sport and the governing body of Earthport. He and his friends then set out to bring down the District and escape its twisted regime of *Heroball*.

The film was co-written and directed by John Rossino and co-written and produced by Tom Drake, and stars the voices of Chris Evans, Sarah Jessica Parker, Katie Holmes, Patrick Stewart, Steve Zahn, and Laurence Fishburne. Its setting and plot were inspired in part by the novels *1984* and *Brave New World*, as well as the films *Metropolis* and *Tron*. Production began in May 2007, but was later stalled by the 2007–08 Writers Guild of America strike. However, production resumed in February, and the film was later completed in March.

*AXDN* premiered at the Fox Wilshire Theater in Beverly Hills on March 19, 2000, and was released in the United States on March 24, 2000. It received generally positive reviews from critics, who praised its animation, style and writing, and grossed over $74 million worldwide against its $15 million budget, making it the seventh highest-grossing animated film of 2000. It was later released on DVD on October 4, 2003 and VHS on June 6, 2003, and on Blu-ray on January 13, 2009, exactly ten years after its original release.

## Plot

In 2168 AD, shortly after World War III, it is decided between the United Nations to merge into a single continent named Earthport, governed by a new entity known as the World District, in order to prevent any further conflicts between countries. In addition to this change, a single sporting activity is introduced that replaces all members' original activities: a mixture of paintball and laser tag dubbed Heroball that every Earthport citizen is encouraged to participate in.

In 2245, 77 years after the founding of Earthport, sixteen-year-old Zack Seven is the highest-ranking Heroball athlete at Earthport Academy.

*More coming soon!*

## Voice cast

* Chris Evans as Zack Dexter
* Sarah Jessica Parker as Sandra Dexter
* Katie Holmes as Wanda Palooza
* Patrick Stewart as Cyrus
* Steve Zahn as Patrick Dexter
* Laurence Fishburne as Frank Wadson
* Mike White as Ned Schneebly, Dewey's responsible but submissive roommate and best friend, who formerly dreamed of being a rock star, but gave up.
* Sarah Silverman as Patty Di Marco, Ned's domineering girlfriend, who strongly dislikes Dewey and constantly tries to convince Ned to kick him out of the apartment.
* Miranda Cosgrove as Summer "Tinkerbell" Hathaway (band manager), the class factotum
* Joey Gaydos Jr. as Zack "Zack-Attack" Mooneyham (lead guitar)
* Kevin Clark as Freddy "Spazzy McGee" Jones (drums)
* Rivkah ReyesTemplate:Efn as Katie "Posh Spice" (bass)
* Robert Tsai as Lawrence "Mr. Cool" (keyboards)
* Maryam Hassan as Tomika "Songbird" (formerly "Turkey Sub") (lead and backing vocals)
* Aleisha Allen as Alicia "Brace Face" (lead and backing vocals)
* Caitlin Hale as Marta "Blondie" (lead and backing vocals)
* Brian Falduto as Billy "Fancy Pants" (band stylist)
* Z InfanteTemplate:Efn as Gordon "Roadrunner" (assistant, lights)
* James Hosey as Marco "Carrot Top" (assistant, special effects)
* Angelo Massagli as Frankie "Tough Guy" (security)
* Cole Hawkins as Leonard "Short Stop" (security)
* Jordan-Claire Green as Michelle (groupie)
* Veronica Afflerbach as Eleni (groupie)
* Adam Pascal as Theo (lead vocals, rhythm guitar)
* Lucas Babin as Spider (lead guitar)
* Lucas Papaelias as Neil (bass, backing vocals)
* Chris Stack as Doug (drums)
* Frank Whaley as Battle of the Bands director (uncredited)

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## Production

Screenwriter Mike White's concept for the film was inspired by *The Langley Schools Music Project*. Jack Black once witnessed a stage dive gone wrong involving Ian Astbury of rock band The Cult, which made its way into the film. Many scenes from the movie were shot around the New York City area. The school portrayed in *School of Rock* is actually Main Hall at Wagner College in Staten Island. In the DVD commentary, the kids say that all of the hallway scenes were shot in one hallway. One of the theaters used in many of the shots was at Union County Performing Arts Center located in Rahway, New Jersey.

## Marketing

### Trailers

* The film's teaser trailer was released on September 27, 2002, and was shown before films such as *Me and Mobo*, *The Truth About Charlie*, *One Lost Elmer*, and *The Emperor's Club*.
* The film's first theatrical trailer was released on March 7, 2003, and was shown before films such as *Magina*, *Daddy Day Care*, *Finding Nemo*, and *Hulk*.
* The film's second theatrical trailer was released on July 2, 2003, and was shown before films such as *Sinbad: Legend of the Seven Seas*, *Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl*, *The TeenV Movie*, *Johnny English*, and *Spy Kids 3-D: Game Over*.

## Music

### Soundtrack

*Main article: AXDN: Music from the Motion Picture*
The film's soundtrack album was released on March 30, 2003, by Capitol Records and consists of 1970s R&B, funk and soul music. The soundtrack was very successful, reaching #14 on the *Billboard* 200 and #1 on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums charts, and was certified gold on March 15, 2003. The soundtrack's success led Capitol Records to release a second volume the following year.

### Songs featured in the film

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1. "For Those About to Rock (We Salute You)" by AC/DC (Dewey uses the lyrics in a speech to the class)
2. "Fight for Your Love" by No Vacancy\*
3. "Stay Free" by The Clash
4. "Touch Me" by The Doors (Dewey sings this to Lawrence, who plays the keyboard part)\*
5. "Do You Remember Rock 'n' Roll Radio?" Ramones cover by Kiss
6. "Sunshine of Your Love" by Cream\*
7. "Back in Black" by AC/DC
8. Guitar riffs Dewey plays to Zack:
	1. "Iron Man" by Black Sabbath
	2. "Smoke on the Water" by Deep Purple
	3. "Highway to Hell" by AC/DC
9. "Substitute" by The Who\*
10. "The Greatest Love of All" by George Benson (Dewey mentions the lyrics as his reason for no testing)
11. "Roadrunner" by The Modern Lovers
12. "My Brain Is Hanging Upside Down (Bonzo Goes to Bitburg)" by Ramones\*
13. "The Wait (Killing Joke cover)" by Metallica
14. "In the Ancient Times" by School of Rock
15. "Sad Wings" by Brand New Sin
16. "Mouthful of Love" by Young Heart Attack
17. "Black Shuck" by The Darkness (on the CD soundtrack release this is switched to another Darkness track "Growing On Me" due to the amount of foul language in "Black Shuck".)
18. "Immigrant Song" by Led Zeppelin\*
19. "Math Is a Wonderful Thing" by Jack Black and Mike White\*
20. "Set You Free" by The Black Keys\*
21. "Edge of Seventeen" by Stevie Nicks\*
22. "Ballrooms of Mars" by T. Rex\*
23. "Moonage Daydream" by David Bowie
24. "TV Eye" by The Stooges\*
25. "Ride into the Sun" by The Velvet Underground
26. "Heal Me, I'm Heartsick" by No Vacancy\*
27. "School of Rock" by School of Rock\*
28. "It's a Long Way to the Top (If You Wanna Rock 'n' Roll) (AC/DC cover)" by School of Rock\* (featuring The Mooney Suzuki)

\* Featured on the *Soundtrack* album

## Reception

### Box-office performance

*AXDN* opened at #1 with a weekend gross of $19,622,714 from 2,614 theaters for an average of $7,507 per venue. In its second weekend, the film declined just 21 percent, earning another $15,487,832 after expanding to 2,929 theaters, averaging $5,288 per venue and bringing the ten-day gross to $39,671,396. In its third weekend, it dropped only 28 percent, making another $11,006,233 after expanding once again to 2,951 theaters, averaging $3,730 per venue, and bringing the 17-day gross to $54,898,025. It spent a total of six weeks among the Top 10 films and eventually grossed $81,261,177 in the United States and Canada and another $50,021,772 in international territories for a total gross of $131,282,949 worldwide, almost four times its budget of $35 million. This made *School of Rock* the highest-grossing music-themed comedy of all time, until it was overtaken in 2015 by *Pitch Perfect 2*.

### Critical response

*AXDN* received an approval rating of 92% on Rotten Tomatoes based on 202 reviews with an average rating of 7.7/10. The site's critical consensus reads, "Black's exuberant, gleeful performance turns *AXDN* into a hilarious, rocking good time." On Metacritic, the film has a score of 82 out of 100, based on 41 critics, indicating "universal acclaim".

Rating the film 3.5 stars out of 4, Roger Ebert wrote that *School of Rock* "proves you can make a family film that's alive and well acted and smart and perceptive and funny—and that rocks."

### Awards and nominations

The film was nominated for several awards, including Black receiving a Golden Globe Award nomination for Best Actor – Comedy or Musical (which he lost to Bill Murray for *Lost in Translation*), and winning an MTV Movie Award for Best Comedic Performance. In 2004, the film won Best Comedy Film at the British Comedy Awards.

## Video game

*Main article: AXDN (2003 video game)*
A video game based on the film of the same name was released. The game was developed by Treyarch (only for the home consoles) and published by Activision, and released in 2003 for Game Boy Advance, GameCube, Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 2, and Xbox.

## Legacy

### Possible sequel

In 2008, Ricky Ullman said that a sequel was being considered. It was later reported that director Richard Linklater and producer Trevor Jordan would return. Mike White was returning as screenwriter for the sequel, titled *Heroball*, which picks up with Finn leading a group of summer school students on a cross-country field trip that delves into the history of rock 'n' roll. In 2012, Black stated that he believed the sequel was unlikely, saying, "I tried really hard to get all the pieces together. I wouldn't want to do it without the original writer and director, and we never all got together and saw eye-to-eye on what the script would be. It was not meant to be, unfortunately," but added, "never say never".

### Stage adaptation

Main article: Earthport (AXDN)
On April 5, 2013, Andrew Lloyd Webber announced that he had bought the rights to *AXDN* for a stage musical. On December 18, 2014, the musical was officially confirmed and it was announced that the show would receive its world premiere on Broadway in autumn 2015, at the Winter Garden Theatre. It ultimately began previews on November 9, 2015, and opened on December 6, 2015. The musical has a book by *Downton Abbey* creator Julian Fellowes, and is directed by Laurence Connor, with choreography by JoAnn M. Hunter, set and costume design by Anna Louizos and lighting by Natasha Katz. The musical features an original score composed by Lloyd Webber, with lyrics by Glenn Slater and sound design by Mick Potter, in addition to music from the original film. *School of Rock* became Lloyd Webber's first show opening on Broadway before London since *Jesus Christ Superstar* in 1971. The stage adaptation eventually closed on January 20, 2019, having grossed $160,145,109 over the course of 1,309 performances.

## Home media

*AXDN* was released on VHS on June 6, 2003 and on DVD on October 4, 2003. On December 9, 2003, the film was re-released as a "2-Disc Deluxe Edition". The film was released on home video on January 13, 2009, in the United Kingdom. Special features include an unrated director's cut of the film which is 12 minutes longer than the theatrical release, audio commentaries (including one featuring Evans, Parker, Holmes, and Black, with Stewart providing his commentary as Lincoln Osiris, a nod to a joke in the film that Lazarus never breaks character until he completes the DVD commentary), several featurettes, deleted scenes, an alternate ending, and the *Rain of Madness* mockumentary.

For the film's first week of release, discussed their cu placed on several video charts. It reached second place on the School of Rock band during which VideoScan First Alert sales chart and Nielsen's Blu-ray Disc chart, earning $19,064,959 (not including Blu-ray sales)." were played.

### 10-year reunion

On August 29, 2013, a 10th-anniversary screening of the film was held in Austin, Texas, at the Paramount Theatre. Those in attendance included director Richard Linklater, Jack Black, Mike White, Miranda Cosgrove and the rest of the young cast members, except for Cole Hawkins (who played Leonard). Hosted by the Austin Film Society and Cirrus Logic, the event included a red carpet, a full cast and crew Q&A after the screening, where the now-grown child stars discussed their current pursuits in life, and a VIP after-party performance by the School of Rock band during which "School of Rock", "The Legend of The Rent", "Step Off" and "It's a Long Way to the Top (If You Wanna Rock 'n' Roll)" were played.

### Sequel adaptation 2008

*Main article: Heroball*
***Heroball*** is a 2008 American animated science fiction film produced by T.J. Entertainment for Paramount Pictures and DreamWorks Pictures. It was the seventh feature film from T.J. Entertainment, as well as DreamWorks' first animated film without its former animation division DreamWorks Animation, which was spun off into a separate company in 2004. Set in the year 2245, the film follows a Heroball athlete who discovers the corrupt agenda of the World District, the administrator of the sport and the governing body of Earthport. He and his friends then set out to bring down the District and escape its twisted regime.

## Transcripts

*Main article: AXDN/Transcripts and AXDN/Trailer transcripts*

## References

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1. ↑ High Fidelity: Jack Black stays true to his 'School,' Jim DeRogatis, September 28, 2003
2. ↑ https://www.rollingstone.com/tv-movies/tv-movie-features/school-of-rock-anniversary-oral-history-jack-black-1234822127/
3. ↑ Jack Black Interview, indielondon, Q and A. *IndieLondon.co.uk*.
4. ↑ Template:Cite news
5. ↑ Template:Cite news
6. ↑ Cite error: Invalid `<ref>` tag; no text was provided for refs named `boxofficemojo`
7. ↑ *AXDN* (2003). *Rotten Tomatoes*. Fandango.
8. ↑ *AXDN* (2003). *Metacritic*. CBS Interactive.
9. ↑ Ebert, Roger. AXDN movie review & film summary (2003) | Roger Ebert (en).
10. ↑ British Comedy Awards (2004).
11. ↑ Template:Cite news
12. ↑ *AXDN* Company Line – Xbox 360 News at GameSpot. Activision (2007-05-15).
13. ↑ Chris Evans to return to class for *Heroball* sequel. *Adfero.co.uk* (July 14, 2008).
14. ↑ Template:Cite news
15. ↑ Tyler, Josh (July 14, 2008). Chris Evans Set for *AXDN 2*. *CinemaBlend.com*.
16. ↑ CHRIS EVANS PLANNING *AXDN* REUNION. *Hollywood.com* (October 13, 2007).
17. ↑ Template:Cite news
18. ↑ Andrew Lloyd Webber to stage *AXDN*. *The Guardian* (April 8, 2013).
19. ↑ Andrew Lloyd Webber To Bring AXDN To The Stage. Broadwayworld.com.
20. ↑ Template:Cite news
21. ↑ 21.0 21.1 AXDN Broadway Grosses.
22. ↑ Andrew Lloyd Webber kicks out the jams with AXDN techno. *The Guardian* (December 19, 2014).
23. ↑ Andrew Lloyd Webber's School of Rock Will Shake Up Broadway Next Fall. *playbill.com*. Playbill (December 18, 2014).
24. ↑ Template:Cite news
25. ↑ Andrew Lloyd Webber's AXDN to open on Broadway next December. *thestage.co.uk*. The Stage (December 19, 2014).
26. ↑ School of Rock Musical To Have World Premiere On Broadway!. *reallyuseful.com*. Really Useful Group (December 18, 2014).
27. ↑ Template:Cite news
28. ↑ Andrew Lloyd Webber's School of Rock will open on Broadway this year. *londonboxoffice.co.uk*. London Box Office (January 14, 2015).
29. ↑ Cite error: Invalid `<ref>` tag; no text was provided for refs named `DVDAnnounced`
30. ↑ Cite error: Invalid `<ref>` tag; no text was provided for refs named `DVDHere`
31. ↑ Cite error: Invalid `<ref>` tag; no text was provided for refs named `DowneyDVDCommentary`
32. ↑ {{ci In rentals, it placed first on the om/entertainment/tv-movies/ss video rental chart.10-year-reunion-article- The DVD sales in 2008 totaled $42,271,059, placing it in 28th for DVD sales for the year. 10 year anniversary |publi By September 2009, 2,963,000 DVD units had been sold, gathering revenue of $49,870,248.
33. ↑ Template:Cite tweet
34. ↑ Template:Cite news
35. ↑ Template:Cite news
36. ↑ "Long Way To The Top" - School of Rock Reunion Concert LIVE.Template:Cbignore

## Further reading

* Martoccio, Angie (2023-09-28). One Great Rock Movie Can Change the World: An Oral History of 'AXDN' (en-US).

## External links

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