Ziggy Marley Reveals First Look And Title For Bob Marley Movie At CinemaCon
Ziggy Marley shared a first-look trailer for the upcoming Bob Marley biopic at CinemaCon, the official convention of the National Association of Theatre Owners, inside the Colosseum at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas, on Thursday.
He also revealed the biopic’s official title, Bob Marley: One Love. The film is set for release on January 12, 2024 via Paramount Pictures.
“It’s great to be here today on behalf of my father. I’m here as a producer of this film but also as a steward of my father’s incredibly legacy… this message of unity and love is as urgent as ever,” Ziggy said after he took to the stage, according to the Hollywood Reporter.
Rihanna, who is starring as Smurfette in The Smurf Movie (another upcoming Paramount Pictures film), was pictured with Ziggy after their presentations for the film company at the event.
Bob Marley: One Love, which covers the Reggae icon’s life between 1976 and 1978, sees British actor Kingsley Ben-Adir in the lead role as Bob, and his compatriot Lashana Lynch, playing the role of Rita Marley. The supporting cast includes James Norton as Island Records boss Chris Blackwell and Umi Myers as Bob’s girlfriend Cindy Breakspeare.
Ziggy gave “huge thanks” to the people of Jamaica, whom he described as being “critical in ensuring the authenticity” of the film, which he labeled “a taste of the heart and soul.”
The multiple Grammy Award winner also said the biopic will enable people to “deepen their connection with the late Reggae icon and learn more about the “adversity he faced in spreading his layered messages of rebellion, love and unity.”
According to Variety Magazine, the trailer for Bob Marley: One Love, which has not yet been released publicly, “shows a chameleonic Ben-Adir, a dead ringer for Marley, as he charts the singer’s incredible journey from humble early days in Jamaica to global stardom.”
The publication notes that the trailer includes scenes of Marley “performing in cavernous stadiums in front of adoring crowds, as well as scenes of him with his family and relaxing while playing soccer”, as well as “a recreation of the 1976 assassination attempt that Marley survived”.
“It all closes with one of Marley’s most enduing maxims: “One love, one heart, one destiny”, Variety noted.
On April 2, Ziggy, while speaking with Irie FM’s Kabu on The Running African programme, had revealed that the biopic’s second phase of filming ended in Jamaica last month.
The Rebellion Rises singer had also given details on the plot of the biopic. At the time, he said it surrounded the life story of his parents, with the foundation being the years 1976 to 1978, spanning the assassination attempt on the couple, his father’s subsequent self-imposed exile in London and his later return to Jamaica, and the legendary One Love Concert.
During The Running African programme, Ziggy had also said that Ben Adir had done “a good job” starring as Bob Marley, as did Lynch as Rita.
When asked by Kabu how “political tribalism” was weaved into the biopic, Ziggy had hinted that two of Jamaica’s foremost political enforcers of the 1970s era, Aston “Bucky” Marshall and Claudius Massop were also featured in the film, as well as the then leaders of the two major political parties at the time: the Jamaica Labour Party’s (JLP) Edward Seaga and the Peoples National Party (PNP’s) Michael Manley.
After the assassination attempt on Bob, during which Rita was also shot, the Small Axe artist had flown to Nassau, Bahamas, and later to England, where he recorded his Exodus and Kaya albums in 1977 and 1978, respectively.
Bob returned to Jamaica two years later for the famous One Love Peace concert, where he had Manley and Seaga join hands in a symbolic show of solidarity.
The Bob Marley biopic was executive-produced by Ziggy, Rita and his elder sister Cedella. The three produced the movie on behalf of Tuff Gong, the music label and studios, which Bob established in 1970.