If you’ve charted a successful career in another entertainment industry, chances are the movies will one day come calling to craft a biopic about you. And in an era when even people who help create chip brands can see films made of their lives (‘Flamin’ Hot’), then surely Bob Marley deserves the full-on movie treatment.
His life has been tackled before, but ‘Bob Marley: One Love’ promises to go all out, while skipping (at least on the evidence of this teaser) the typical cradle to grave treatment that has somewhat fallen out of favor (not least because of the likes of spoof version ‘Walk Hard’).
What’s the story of ‘Bob Marley: One Love’?
'Bob Marley: One Love' is scheduled to be released in theaters on January, 12th 2024.
The movie focuses on the period after a 1976 assassination attempt on Marley, as he prepares to return to Jamaica in 1978 for the One Love Peace Concert.
It’ll include some other key moments in his storied life too, but the teaser is most definitely focused on the assassin and the fallout from that dramatic period.
And according to the official log line for the film, here’s what it aims to do:
“Bob Marley: One Love’ celebrates the life and music of an icon who inspired generations through his message of love and unity. On the big screen for the first time, discover Bob’s powerful story of overcoming adversity and the journey behind his revolutionary music.”
Who else is in ‘Bob Marley: One Love’?
The movie stars Kingsley Ben-Adir as Bob Marley, Lashana Lynch as Rita Marley and James Norton as record producer Chris Blackwell. The cast also includes include Jesse Cilio, Michael Gandolfini, Nadine Marshall and Anthony Welsh.
Related Article: ‘Transformers’, Tom Cruise and More Headline the Paramount Presentation
Family support
Ziggy Marley at Paramount Pictures CinemaCon 2023 presentation in Las Vegas. Photos courtesy of Paramount Pictures.
While many music biopics look to win the rights to use the artists’ music, the new movie has taken the next step and secured support from Marley’s family.
And though that can sometimes lead to charges that the resulting movie sands the rougher edges of a real-life person’s existence, it can also pay dividends –– ‘Rocketman’, for example, had the full backing of and access to, Elton John, and that didn’t shy away from his diva side and issues with collaborators.
Marley’s son, Ziggy, released a statement in support of the new teaser:
Whether the movie will be embraced by Marley fans and music lovers in particular remains to be seen. But lead actor Ben-Adir certainly has successful form bringing real people to life –– witness his performance as Malcolm X in the Oscar-nominated ‘One Night in Miami…’
Though we must admit, having watched several episodes of Marvel’s new Disney+ series ‘Secret Invasion’, does anyone else get the sneaking suspicion that this is really an alien Skrull looking to take down the music industry from behind the scenes?
All right, maybe it’s just us.
‘Bob Marley: One Love’ will be in theaters on January 12th next year, so your heart will have to be at peace until then.
'Bob Marley: One Love' is scheduled to be released in theaters on January, 12th 2024.
Other Movies Similar to 'Bob Marley: One Love:'
- 'Sid and Nancy' (1986)
- 'The Doors' (1991)
- 'Ray' (2004)
- 'Walk the Line' (2005)
- 'I'm Not There' (2007)
- 'Control' (2007)
- 'The Runaways' (2010)
- 'Get on Up' (2014)
- 'Love & Mercy' (2015)
- 'Bohemian Rhapsody' (2018)
- 'Rocketman' (2019)
- 'The Dirt' (2019)
- 'Elvis' (2022)
- 'Weird: The Al Yankovic Story' (2022)
