Rita Marley To Produce First Bob Marley Biopic
Filed under: Drama, Music & Musicals, Deals
I find it amazing that there hasn't already been a film made about Bob Marley's life. I suppose biopics are simply fraught with difficulty -- obtaining rights, trying not to anger surviving family, trying to cram an entire life into two hours. But now the first film is kicking into gear -- and the Hollywood Reporter has announced that none other than Marley's widow, Rita Marley, is set to produce along with Rudy Langlais. The film will be based on Marley's 2004 autobiography No Woman No Cry: My Life With Bob Marley, which has been optioned by the Weinstein Company. The book details the singer's childhood, their tumultuous 15-year marriage, the assassination attempt on the couple, and the singer's early death from cancer in 1981. Langlais is claiming the film will be an "epic romance," but Marley insists she doesn't want a glamorized version. "Every inch of me is in there. I don't want a fairy tale or Cinderella story."
Marley is hoping the film's cast will be a family affair. She wants her daughter-in-law, singer Lauryn Hill, to play her in the film. Ideally, her grandson, Stefan, who is "the spitting image" of the late singer, will play Bob. Will he play younger or older Marley? They are looking for two actors to play him, one at age 15 and one portraying his adult years. The film's script is already being penned by Lizzie Borden (what a name!) in Jamaica, with a release date in late 2009, which could even beat Martin Scorsese's authorized documentary to theaters. No director has been named.
Bob Marley's life has the potential to be a fantastic movie -- and I'm rarely interested in music biopics. I'm curious to see who they are going to cast. Will they really stay within the Marley clan? Who would you like to see on-screen? Who would you like to direct it?
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
3-05-2008 @ 9:14AM
ElectroGremlinCS88 said...
Marley is hoping the film's cast will be a family affair. She wants her daughter-in-law, singer Lauryn Hill, to play her in the film.
^^^
She never married Rita Marleys son, hes married, Lauryn was his "jumpOff"... some would say his whore.
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3-06-2008 @ 3:17PM
lov101 said...
I think rita marley would know if lauryn was her daughter in law or not. I know the story and were you got your info and that was years ago, Lauryn was never some whore. if you read the 2005 trace magazine lauryn hill cover you would know that was all lies. it's funny how a lie could last ten years cuz people keep reguritating that shit.
5-13-2008 @ 2:57PM
spencer said...
Is there really a danger of Bob Marley overload here? I know I would be interested in seeing both projects -- my tastes favor a documentary, but I think a well done biopic would be brilliant. It seems to me that a Martin Scorsese documentary has enough power to draw an audience regardless -- and especially if the biopic is disappointing. No, what I find bitterly sad is that Marley's music is reduced to a commodity, and that the message of his life and work is utterly lost in a bunch of squabbling. It is not a celebration of the man and his music, but a race to get to the box office first, to see who gets to use what songs, how much they might cost, and what deals are troubled. What a shame.
There is more then just two films in work at the time I too am trying to do a film about Marley as a Dramtical,musical, Biopic....called LEGEND. a original screenplay based around the life of Bob Marley, about the life and death of Bob Marley likely to be put in to a trilogy. This is told from people who knew bob best telling there stories of his life at his funeral in 1981.
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