Freddie Gibbs has made quite an impression with his acting chops and may have a future in Hollywood as well. Gibbs made his acting debut in the independent feature film Down with the King, which has now been acquired by Sony Pictures’ Stage 6 Films.
Down with the King was written by Diego Ongaro and produced by Breaker Studios. The film had its world premiere in the ACID lineup that runs parallel to the Cannes Film Festival and just scored the Grand Prize at the Deauville American Film Festival, which captured the attention of Sony.
Gibbs plays a rapper named Mercury Maxwell in Down With the King, which tells the story of a successful hip-hop artist who performs under the stage name Money Merc. Maxwell is at the height of his music career when his manager sends him out to remote farmland to develop and record his next album. While there, Money Merc becomes friends with a farmer and finds himself more immersed in working the land than recording his album and makes the drastic decision to retire from the music business and focus on a new passion and simpler life, instead. Despite his mind being made up, the rapper’s manager is determined to get Merc back in the music game.
The Gary, Indiana-bred rapper posted about the film being picked up by Sony and all his accolades, adding, “Stop playing with me.”
Ongaro also gave Gibbs his props and can’t wait for everyone to see the rapper’s other skill set.
“I’m thrilled to be working with Sony Pictures to bring Down with the King to the world and showcase Freddie Gibbs’ incredible talent beyond music,” Ongaro told Deadline.
Ongaro also spoke with Complex and explained that he wasn’t making a typical rapper movie.
“Many films that feature the hip-hop community tell underdog ‘success stories,’ whereas Down with the King does the contrary. Mercury is at the top of the hip-hop world but desperately seeks a simpler life … Freddie Gibbs and I worked intimately together to craft Mercury’s character and backstory; some of it pulled from Freddie’s experiences and values, much of it invented. It was an absolute thrill working with someone as sharp and multi-talented as Freddie in this collaborative way,” the director added.
