Bring It on Turns 26: Why Kirsten Dunst’s and Gabrielle Union’s Cheer Classic Still Matters

Twenty-six years after Bring It On first hit theatres, the cheerleading comedy remains one of the most recognisable teen movies of the 2000s.

Released on August 25, 2000, the film introduced audiences to Kirsten Dunst as determined Toros captain Torrance Shipman and Gabrielle Union as rival Clovers captain Isis. Directed by Peyton Reed and written by Jessica Bendinger, the movie mixed comedy, romance and competitive cheerleading with a story about originality, rivalry and cultural influence.

The movie has also proved surprisingly durable. It earned about $90.45 million worldwide against an $11 million production budget, according to Box Office Mojo.

More than two decades later, its stars have continued to revisit the film. That renewed interest was especially visible during the cast’s 25th-anniversary reunion in Los Angeles in September 2025.

The Bring It On cast reunited 25 years later

Kirsten Dunst, Gabrielle Union, Jesse Bradford and Lindsay Sloane reunited for a special screening in Los Angeles on September 21, 2025.

The event celebrated the movie’s 25th anniversary and included a fan photo opportunity and a live question-and-answer session.

The reunion also revived a familiar question: Could the original cast ever return for another Bring It On movie?

For Dunst, the answer has been fairly clear. At the 2025 anniversary event, she indicated that she was not interested in returning to Torrance. Her comments reflected a desire to leave the character and the original story where they belong.

Union, however, has previously shown more openness to the idea of continuing the franchise. In past interviews, she discussed the long development process surrounding a potential sequel.

For now, there is no confirmed original-cast sequel to report.

How Bring It One became a surprise success

Bring It On was not simply a movie about cheerleading. Its central conflict gave the story more weight than a typical teen comedy.

Torrance discovers that the Toros’ routines were stolen from the East Compton Clovers. That revelation forces her to rethink what it means to lead a successful team and confront the consequences of copying another squad’s work.

Universal’s official synopsis similarly describes Torrance’s discovery that the Toros’ routines came from a rival hip-hop cheer squad.

The movie opened on August 25, 2000, and Box Office Mojo records a $17.36 million domestic opening weekend. Its worldwide theatrical gross eventually reached approximately $90.45 million.

That performance helped turn a relatively modestly budgeted teen comedy into a long-running franchise.

Kirsten Dunst was not originally the only option for Torrance

Dunst’s performance became closely associated with Torrance Shipman, but she was not the first actress considered for the role.

Marley Shelton was initially attached to play Torrance before leaving the project to star in Sugar & Spice, another cheerleading-themed movie.

Dunst ultimately took the part and helped define the character as an ambitious but imperfect captain who has to grow throughout the story.

Today, Torrance remains one of Dunst’s best-known early roles, alongside her work in movies such as The Virgin Suicides and the Spider-Man franchise.

Gabrielle Union helped shape Isis

Union’s Isis became just as important to the movie’s identity as Dunst’s Torrance.

Rather than presenting the Clovers simply as the villains of the story, Bring It On gave audiences a direct look at the consequences of the Toros’ stolen routines.

That choice helped make the rivalry more complicated than a straightforward competition between two teams.

Union’s performance also helped establish Isis as a confident leader with her own ambitions. The character remains one of the most memorable parts of the original film.

The official cast credits list Dunst as Torrance Shipman, Union as Isis, Eliza Dushku as Missy Pantone and Jesse Bradford as Cliff Pantone.

The actors trained for the cheerleading scenes

The physical demands of Bring It On were significant.

Several cast members underwent a four-week cheerleading training camp before filming. The goal was to help the actors perform routines and stunts convincingly rather than relying entirely on doubles.

The production also required actors auditioning for cheerleading roles to demonstrate some level of rhythm and coordination.

That preparation is easy to appreciate when watching the movie today. The competition sequences depend heavily on synchronised movement, tumbling and formations.

The movie’s routines were not always realistic competition cheer

One interesting detail about Bring It On is that some of its most spectacular routines were created for cinematic impact rather than strict competitive accuracy.

Reed later explained that some stunts shown in the film would not have been legal in high school competition at the time.

That distinction matters because the movie was designed first as entertainment. The filmmakers wanted the final performances to look exciting on screen, even when that meant bending the rules of real-world cheerleading.

The Clovers’ victory was an important creative choice

The ending also helped distinguish Bring It On from a conventional teen sports movie.

Instead of allowing the protagonist’s team to automatically win, the filmmakers chose to have the Clovers take the championship.

That decision reinforced one of the movie’s central ideas: Torrance’s personal growth mattered more than simply putting a trophy in the hands of the main character.

It also allowed the film to acknowledge the Clovers’ talent while giving Torrance a more meaningful lesson about leadership and accountability.

Bring It On grew into a much larger franchise

The original movie did not remain a one-off success.

Universal currently lists the original film alongside a seven-movie collection, reflecting how extensively the Bring It On brand expanded beyond the 2000 theatrical release.

The franchise also reached the stage with Bring It On: The Musical, which featured music and lyrics co-written by Lin-Manuel Miranda.

However, the original cast have largely remained separate from the later instalments. That has helped preserve the 2000 movie as its own distinct chapter rather than simply treating it as the beginning of an endlessly continuing story.

Why Bring It On still resonates in 2026

The biggest reason Bring It On continues to attract attention is that its story has more staying power than its early-2000s setting might suggest.

The film deals with competition, leadership, originality and the consequences of taking credit for someone else’s work. Those themes remain easy for modern audiences to recognise.

Its cast also helped the movie age well. Dunst, Union, Dushku and the rest of the ensemble brought enough personality to their characters that fans still remember them decades later.

The 2025 reunion was another reminder of that connection. A movie released in 2000 was still capable of bringing its stars and long-time viewers together a quarter-century later.

As Bring It When On reaches its 26th anniversary on August 25, 2026, its legacy is less about whether another sequel happens and more about how firmly the original has secured its place in pop culture.

For fans, the spirit of the Toros and Clovers is still very much alive.