Way back in 2013, we raved about a documentary at SXSW called 12 O’Clock Boys, about a gang of wheelie-loving bikers in Baltimore and now that story has been turned into a dramatic feature called Charm City Kings by Angel Manuel Soto. Sony Pictures Classics has released the first teaser trailer for the film today, which stars Jahi Di’Allo Winston, Meek Mill, Will Catlett, Chino Braxton, Lakeyria “Wheelie Queen” Doughty, Donielle Tremaine Hansley, Kezii Curtis, Chandler DuPont, and Teyonah Parris.
Charm City Kings is premiering at this year’s Sundance Film Festival and opens in theaters April 10th.
Growing up in West Baltimore, teenage Mouse (JAHI DI’ALLO WINSTON, Queen & Slim, Proud Mary, The Upside) feels the fierce pull of different forces: Between notorious ex-con Blax (Grammy-nominated best-selling artist MEEK MILL) and concerned Detective Rivers (WILLIAM CATLETT, TV’s “Black Lightning”), and between the straight path set for Mouse by his concerned mother (TEYONAH PARRIS, If Beale Street Could Talk, Dear White People, TV’s “Empire”) and the dangers of gang life, which took his brother’s life. The one truth Mouse knows is that he loves the power, artistry, and energy of “The Ride” — the exhilarating motorized-dirt-bike scene that is both a pastime and passion on the streets of Baltimore. During one eventful summer, Mouse has to steer his way through two father figures, a first girlfriend, and the illegal but irresistible thrill of stunt-riding that makes him and his friends feel like CHARM CITY KINGS.
