The trailer for the much-anticipated biopic on the life of legendary reggae artiste Bob Marley has been released, and it’s giving the chills!
The trailer, Bob Marley: One Love, dropped on Thursday morning as Paramount Pictures begins its marketing for the film set to release in early 2024.
The 2:58 trailer for the biopic shows fans for the first time how the film will appear and casts Kingsley Ben-Adir as the Reggae Legend. The One Love biopic is produced by award-winning director Reinaldo Marcus Green who is most famous for films like the ‘King Richard’ biopic on the father of Venus and Serena Williams. That film swept the Oscars last year with Will Smith as King Richard.
The One Love trailer is already receiving rave reviews from fans online as they get a teaser of the acting and the storyline, drawing from several stages of Marley’s life, including the ongoing conflicts around him and the moment he and his team came under gunfire.
The film starts with Marley, played by Kingsley Ben-Adir, in front of a large audience. The British actor’s accent and look are on point as he responds to a question “from the beginning” and adds a wry smile.
Ben-Adir’s casting for the film had caused controversy as many felt that a Jamaican was more suited for the role, particularly given the misrepresentation of the Jamaican accent and context in mainstream Hollywood television.
However, Ben-Adir received wide praise as his accent couldn’t be distinguished, especially given that Marley had spent his early life in the United States before returning to Jamaica.
The trailer captures Marley’s cool and calm exterior as he notes he wants the message of “peace” to go out as violence surrounds him in Jamaica during that time as political factions fight for control of the island.
There is also the famous incident from December 3, 1976, which took place two days before Marley was to head one of the biggest unity concerts in Jamaica but his wife Rita Marley was shot in the head and Marley in the chest and arm by seven gunmen who invaded his 56 Hope Road home as he and his band took a break from a rehearsal for the concert.
Meanwhile, Lashana Lynch from the James Bond film will play Rita Marley.
The film also sees Marley’s son Ziggy Marley as a producer, which he revealed at CinemaCon earlier this year.
“It’s great to be here today on behalf of this movie about my father,” said Ziggy said. “I’m here as a producer of this film, but also as a steward of my father’s incredible legacy… this message of unity and love is as urgent as ever.”
The film will begin playing in theatres on January 12, 2024.
