Why Bob Marley's Family Thinks Now Is the Right Time for His Biopic
At long last, iconic reggae singer Bob Marley is getting the Hollywood treatment. Bob Marley: One Love, a biopic that covers three years of the musician's life, will premiere on Feb. 14, 2024.
Marley is credited with revolutionizing reggae music as we know it, and is responsible for many of the sounds we still hear in the genre today. Born in 1945 in Nine Mile, Jamaica, Marley was a Rastafarian who imbued his music with his spiritual beliefs.
Despite his death at the age of 36, Marley seemingly managed to live several lifetimes in one. Here is everything to know about the upcoming film, from the cast to the release date.
Related: 150 Best Bob Marley Quotes
What is the new Bob Marley movie called?
The upcoming Bob Marley biopic is called Bob Marley: One Love.
What is the release date for Bob Marley: One Love?
The movie will be released on Feb. 14, 2024 after getting pushed back from a January 2024 premiere.
Who is playing Bob Marley in the biopic?
Kingsley Ben-Adir stars as Bob Marley. His other film credits include One Night in Miami and Barbie, and he's also had roles in the TV shows High Fidelity, Vera and Peaky Blinders. Ben-Adir's casting was announced in February 2022.
Director Reinaldo Marcus Green met with "dozens" of actors who were interested in the part.
Does Bob Marley's family approve of the biopic?
It seems Marley's family is on board with the movie, as his son Ziggy Marley, widow Rita Marley and daughter Cedella Marley are all serving as producers on the film.
"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 statement 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."
Related: Reggae Legend Ziggy Marley Talks Music, Messages, Peace and Love
What years does the Bob Marley movie take place?
The movie will cover 1976-1978. "You really need to understand that period of time to understand Bob the man, and what he was going through spiritually and emotionally as a father, as a husband, and as a musician," director Reinaldo Marcus Green said in an interview with Blavity.
The time period was a major one for the star. He and his wife Rita survived an assassination attempt in December of that year. Seven men with guns raided Marley's home while he was rehearsing for a concert. The men managed to shoot Rita in the head.
Keyboardist Tyrone Downie later said, "At the moment when the gunmen broke in, we were rehearsing ‘I Shot The Sheriff.' Bob had stepped out, ’cause the horns weren’t on that record and the horn players wanted to play on it…He came out of the rehearsal room and went into the kitchen to get a grapefruit or something…And all of a sudden you see a hand come through the door like, around the door, and start firing this .38." Marley was shot in the arms.
The time period also covers the making of Marley's album Exodus, as well as his landmark "One Love Peace Concert" in Jamaica.
How old was Bob Marley when he died?
Marley died in 1981 at the age of 36. He had been diagnosed with acral lentiginous melanoma. Marley had initially believed a dark spot under his toenail was due to a soccer injury, though it later proved to be a sign of cancer.
Marley and his band played two back-to-back shows with the Commodores on Sept. 19 and 20, 1980. The singer collapsed the next day but managed to play what would be his final show on Sept. 23 in Pittsburgh. At that point, the cancer had spread to his brain, and he ultimately died in Miami, Florida.
Who is in the Bob Marley: One Love cast?
Kingsley Ben-Adir
Ben-Adir stars as Bob Marley, but the singer isn't the first historical figure that the actor has played. He portrayed Malcolm X in the movie One Night in Miami in 2020.
Lashana Lynch
Lynch will play Rita Marley, the wife of Bob and the mother of several of his children. The casting team searched for quite some time to find the right person to pull off the role, and chemistry tests with Ben-Adir helped land Lynch the spot.
James Norton
Norton is taking on the role of music producer Chris Blackwell, the founder of Island Records.
Michael Gandolfini
Michael Gandolfini (son of the late James Gandolfini) has an undisclosed role in the film.
Michael Ward
Top Boy star Michael Ward was added to the cast in early 2023.
Nadine Marshall
Marshall is best known for her role as Sally on the British TV series The Smoking Room.
Anthony Welsh
Welsh is a British actor who has worked steadily since 2009 in both TV and movies.
Tosin Cole
Cole has had a number of roles in major productions, including playing Ryan Sinclair in Doctor Who and Lt. Bastien in Star Wars: Episode VIII - The Force Awakens.
Luca Slade
Slade is a relative newcomer who has a handful of TV and film credits to his name.
Umi Myers
Myers is also a newcomer to the entertainment industry. She has been cast as Cindy Breakspeare, the mother of Damien Marley.
Who's singing in Bob Marley: One Love?
Ben-Adir will sing in the biopic, though his voice will be blended with Marley's, as well as with the voice of Marley's son Ziggy.
Green told Rolling Stone, "Kingsley performed everything that you see in the movie. So he goes fully in, we have him performing everything, but in order to make the voice one it’s a mixture of Ziggy and Steven [Marley] and the family. So we have real Bob recordings, we have Steven, we have Ziggy, to make it one universal voice in the film."
Where was the Bob Marley movie filmed?
Much of the movie is filmed in Jamaica. As Green explained, "[It] was critical to our story that we were going to be casting real Jamaicans, shooting in Jamaica, we were going to be on the streets in Trench Town."
He added, "We were going to be going to the places that Bob lived and was from, and we made sure that we did that. I think that was critical from the very beginning. I think that adds a layer of authenticity to the filmmaking process so that you feel that you are on the journey."
Is there a trailer for Bob Marley: One Love?
Yes, the trailer was released this summer.
