Kingsley Ben-Adir has been confirmed as the star of the forthcoming Bob Marley biopic.
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It was first announced back in 2018 that a biopic, produced by Ziggy Marley, was in the works, before Reinaldo Marcus Green, director of Oscar-nominated tennis drama King Richard, was revealed to be attached to the film last year.
Ben-Adir, who most recently portrayed activist Malcolm X in One Night in Miami, will portray Marley in the as-yet-untitled film by Paramount Pictures.
Speaking to Collider last year, director Green revealed that the film will focus on the making of Marley’s classic album ‘Exodus’ with The Wailers, which he recorded after moving to London following an unsuccessful assassination attempt in Jamaica.
Of the Marley family’s input on the film, Green added: “Ziggy Marley is, right, my point of contact for the film, and producer on the project. So we’re full steam ahead. I’ve brought on Zach Baylin (a writer on King Richard) to help me write it, which is great bringing our team back together. Hopefully, we’ll have a script very soon. I’m really excited about that one.”
Elsewhere, an immersive Bob Marley exhibition has opened in London this month. The Bob Marley ‘One Love Experience’ has received its global premiere at the Saatchi Gallery before heading out on a multi-city tour.
According to a press release, “this unique experience will showcase unseen Marley photographs and memorabilia whilst immersing audiences on a journey through his lifestyle, passions, influences, and enduring legacy.”
The One Love Music Room will feature giant art installations designed to celebrate Marley’s accolades while a multi-sensory experience can be discovered in the One Love Forest. The exhibition will also boast a live listening experience at the Soul Shakedown Studio.
Fans can submit artwork to be featured as part of the experience here.
Last year, Rita Marley celebrated her 75th birthday, and the musician, activist and Bob Marley‘s widow marked the occasion with the announcement of a new annual scholarship aimed at women.
The Rita Marley Scholarship will be awarded to three women each year, aiming to empower “women from the lower socio-economic stratum of Jamaica’s society”.
