Bob Marley Is Getting the Biopic Treatment With 'One Love'

“ONE MAN. ONE MESSAGE. ONE REVOLUTION. ONE LEGEND.” Any movie with a tagline like that is bound to be good, right? We’re “Jamming,” folks, because Bob Marley is finally (finally) getting the biopic treatment.

The celebrity biopic is something of a cultural phenomenon right now. We’ve had Elvis, Rocket Man, Bohemian Rhapsody, Straight Out of Compton, the forthcoming Bob Dylan flick, A Complete Unknown, the list goes on. If you haven’t had the highs and lows of your life turned into a consumable pop culture moment, why?

Well, as Ziggy Marley put it himself, “Nothing happens before it’s time.” And for Marley fans, that time is now.

The Reggae legend, who died in 1981, will be the subject of a new film, titled Bob Marley: One Love, which “will bring you to witness for the first time what it was like to be around the legend, to see his pain his sorrows his joys and his redemption.” With an all-star cast — and filmed at the actual places where Marley walked, played soccer and sang — it’s been tapped (notably, by Ziggy) as “one of the most unique creations to ever come out of a Hollywood studio.”

Ahead, discover everything else you need to know about One Love.

What is One Love about?

The film is set in 1970s Jamaica and will follow Marley’s rise and career. The first teaser trailer released in July (above) indicates we’ll be privy to the making of his early records, the 1976 attempt on his life and the famous 1978 One Love Peace Concert, as well as the broader strife in the star’s native Jamaica during that time period.

“You’ve heard the music and you think you know the man but do you really understand what he went through and what moments shaped him into the person he became?,” Ziggy asks in a message shared on Instagram.

He added, “With this release we look forward to inspiring not only the long time fans but also the younger generation, giving them a vehicle that opens the door to explore Bob’s life and music and in so doing expand his universal message of unification, justice and peace throughout the earth.”

Who is playing Bob Marley in the biopic?

One Love will star Kingsley Ben-Adir as the man himself. Ben-Adir is no stranger to playing high profile people, having starred as Malcolm X in One Night In Miami and Barack Obama in The Comey Rule.

He’ll be joined by a strong cast, including numerous Jamaican actors who Ziggy notes are, “doing us proud in representing the culture.”

This includes Lashana Lynch, who previously starred as Nomi in a small, indie film (seriously, you’ve probably never heard of it), called James Bond: No Time To Die. Lynch’s role in the 2021 film made her the first Black, female 007 in history and preceded her roles in The Woman King, The Marvels and Tim Minchin’s Matilda The Musical. Lynch will play Marley’s wife, Rita Marley.

The film is directed by Reinaldo Marcus Green, who helmed King Richard, Monsters and Men and more. It also includes Rita and Ziggy Marley as producers, as well as Ziggy’s wife Orly and, as a surprise feature, Brad Pitt.