Paramount's currently untitled Bob Marley biopic has just cast Kingsley Ben-Adir as the legendary musician. After a yearlong search for the right actor to play the iconic reggae frontman, the studio landed on Ben-Adir, fresh off a turn as another historical icon, Malcolm X, in Regina King's critically acclaimed directorial debut, One Night in Miami.
No other cast members have been announced, and plot details are sparpse, but the new biopic is said to focus on the life and career of the man behind hits like "Buffalo Soldier" and "Redemption Song", and will highlight the production of his album Exodus, and presumably a large portion of his time with his band The Wailers.
Reinaldo Marcus Green, who helmed current Academy Awards darling King Richard, is set to direct the film, with a screenplay penned by Zach Baylin, who also wrote the screenplay for King Richard. Robert Teitel serves as the Marley flick's producer, with the film being supported by Marley's surviving family and estate.Marley's wife Rita Marley, son Ziggy Marley, and daughter Cedella Marley all serve as executive producers on the film.
Marley experienced huge success as a reggae musician with his band The Wailers as well as a solo artist until his untimely death of cancer at age 36. His greatest hits album, Legends, is the best-selling reggae album of all time, and he served as inspiration for countless musicians, both in reggae and in a number of other genre.
Musical biopics like Walk the Line and Ray have always been popular, but are now almost assured box-office gold. Movies like Straight Outta Compton, Bohemian Rhapsody, and Paramount's Rocketman were all box office hits, with Bohemian Rhapsody at the top coming in at a worldwide gross of $911.1 million. Other upcoming music biopics include an Elvis Presley project starring Tom Hanks, a film about Whitney Houston called I Wanna Dance with Somebody, and a Madonna-directed movie telling the story of herself. No other information about the Marley biopic has been released.