Freddie Gibbs To Make His Feature Film Acting Debut In ‘Down With The King’

Freddie Gibbs is already considered a top-tier emcee thanks to critically-acclaimed albums like 2014’s Piñata, 2019’s Bandana, and 2020’s Alfredo. The Grammy-nominated Indiana native is now delving into acting too.

Moviegoers will get to see Gibbs make his feature film debut in the forthcoming Down with the King. The cast also consists of Jamie Neumann (Lovecraft Country), David Krumholtz (The Deuce), Sharon Washington (Joker), and Bob Tarasuk (Bob and the Trees).

Diego Ongaro wrote and directed Down with the King. The filmmaker’s previous motion picture, titled Bob and the Trees, premiered at the Sundance Film Festival 2015 and won the top prize at Karlovy Vary International Film Festival in the Czech Republic.

“My primary desire with Down with the King is to collide two unlikely worlds: rap and farming, and to share the improbable story of a rap star who falls in love with the countryside and the refuge that it offers him from his own reality and fame,” states Ongaro. “Many films that feature the Hip Hop community tell underdog ‘success stories,’ whereas Down with the King does the contrary.”

The French auteur adds, “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.”

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Ongaro’s Down with the King was produced by Zach LeBeau and Kim Jackson for Breaker Studios alongside Rob Cristiano. Previous Breaker Studios productions include The Gasoline Thieves (Huachicolero), Trust Machine: The Story of Blockchain, Rudeboy: The Story of Trojan Records, and Antarctica.

“Freddie Gibbs is a creative force of nature,” saidZach LeBeau. “Down with the King represents Breaker Studios’ commitment to conscientious filmmaking focused on breaking down the walls of ignorance in pursuit of truth, unity, and higher awareness.”

PHOTO CREDIT: Nick Walker