The biopic of Reggae legend Bob Marley, initially slated for a January 12, 2024, release date has been pushed back to February 2024.
The Paramount Pictures film, titled Bob Marley: One Love, is now scheduled to hit theaters worldwide on February 14, 2024, according to Deadline.
No reason was given for the rescheduled date, but it is likely that the recent Hollywood actors’ strike was one of the factors.
The strike, which began in May of this year, brought a halt to American film and television production as well as promotional events such as movie premieres. The strike ended on September 27.
Anticipation building for Marley
The diaspora is gearing up for the release of the film, which marks the first time that Bob Marley’s life and career will be showcased in theaters around the world as a biopic.
The film stars British actor Kingsley Ben-Adir as Bob Marley and Lashana Lynch as Rita Marley.
The director of the movie is Reinaldo Marcus Green, who also directed King Richard, the award-winning film which follows the coaching journey of Richard Williams, the father of Venus and Serena Williams.
Green confirmed that the Marley biopic will cover the period 1976 to 1978, which will include the infamous attempted assassination of Marley and wife Rita, the making of his iconic Exodus album, and his eventual return to Jamaica for the historic One Love Peace Concert.
“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,” said Green in an interview about the film.
Read more on Bob Marley:
- Bob Marley’s ‘Legend’ second album in history to spend 800 weeks on Billboard 200
- Anticipation builds for streaming release of “Bob Marley: One Love”
- The Hollywood actor’s strike and what it could mean for the upcoming Bob Marley film
“From the very beginning, we were not interested in doing sort of a cradle-to-grave story. We didn’t feel like we needed to do that, to capture the essence of what Bob was going through at that time. This is a very rich period of Bob’s life in terms of his maturation process, of his becoming a man, of his leaving a legacy to the world. And I think it’s important to know that particular period of time.”
Ziggy Marley, who is joined by his sister Cedella Marley and mother, Rita Marley, as producers on the film, shares that distinction with co-producers Brad Pitt, Robert Teitel, Jeremy Kleiner and Dede Gardner.
The film is executive-produced by Ziggy’s wife Orly Marley, Richard Hewitt, and Matt Solodky.
The movie was shot in Jamaica and the United Kingdom, and features a predominantly Jamaican cast working behind the scenes and on camera.
