'Bob Marley: One Love': Trailer reveals Kingsley Ben-Adir as Jamaican reggae legend
Clarifications and corrections: A previous version of this story misstated Aston “Familyman” Barrett’s status with The Wailers. He quit performing in 2018.
Bob Marley is finally getting the biopic treatment recently given to Elvis, Freddie Mercury and Elton John.
The movie, "Bob Marley: One Love," is scheduled to arrive in theaters January 12, 2024
Directed by Reinaldo Marcus Green ("King Richard"), the film was filmed in England and Jamaica, including sites in Kingston such as Trench Town, where the Wailers formed. The biopic covers Bob Marley's life including a December 1976 attack on the life of him, Rita Marley and the Wailers at Bob's home and studio.
Here's what we know about the Bob Marley biopic.
Who is playing Bob Marley?
The movie stars Kingsley Ben-Adir, who plays the Skrull baddie in the current Disney+ series "Marvel's Secret Invasion," as the reggae legend.
Ben-Adir has played iconic figures before including Malcolm X in "One Night in Miami" and former President Barack Obama in the Showtime miniseries "The Comey Rule."
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'Bob Marley: One Love' movie cast
Lashana Lynch ("The Woman King," "No Time to Die") co-stars as wife Rita.
"The cast and crew, which includes numerous Jamaican actors, deliver a unique cinematic experience that captures the essence of the legend's spirit," said Ziggy Marley, son of Bob and Rita Marley, and also a co-producer of the film, in statements in a press release.
Among them: Aston Barrett Jr., son of the Wailers' bass player Aston "Familyman" Barrett, who quit performing in 2018. The younger Barrett will play his father in the film and also continues his father's legacy, leading and playing drums for the Wailers, currently on tour.
"Nothing happens before it’s time and now is the time for the story of our father Bob Marley to be represented in a biopic theatrical release coming in 2024," Ziggy Marley said in a note posted to Instagram. "You’ve heard the music and you think you know the man but do you really understand what he went through and what moments shaped him into the person he became. … This film will bring you to witness for the first time what it was like to be around the legend, to see his pain his sorrows his joys and his redemption."
Also co-producing: Rita Marley and daughter Cedella Marley, as well as Brad Pitt, Robert Teitel ("Notorious," "Barbershop"), Jeremy Kleiner ("Moonlight"), Dede Gardner ("If Beale Street Could Talk). Orly Marley, wife of Ziggy, is an executive producer as is Richard Hewitt ("Bohemian Rhapsody") and Matt Solodky, general manager of Tuff Gong Worldwide, which handles Ziggy Marley's record label.
'Bob Marley: One Love' trailer
Can't wait until January 2024 for a movie about Bob Marley? Try this
The documentary, "Marley," released in 2012 (for rent on Amazon Prime Video, Apple TV and Google Play; free with ads on YouTube), covers the life of the music legend and offers insights that even surprised his children during the film's making. In addition to archival video interviews with Marley and new interviews with those who knew him, you also see some rare performance footage.
Those who "just think of Bob as the ganja-smoking guy can be more in-depth by watching this, said Ziggy Marley, at the time, about the film which he executive produced along with Island Records founder Chris Blackwell. " This is the definitive thing I that I want my kids to know about their grandfather."
Follow Mike Snider on Twitter: @mikesnider.
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This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: 'Bob Marley: One Love': Biopic about reggae legend out Jan. 12, 2024
