Considering he’s one of the most iconic musicians of the 20th century, it’s surprising that Bob Marley has never really been depicted on the big screen. A 1984 documentary for the BBC, “Bob Marley and the Wailers: The Bob Marley Story” is more-or-less the only version to date, although a pair of dueling versions have been in development for a few years now.
Martin Scorsese was working on a documentary for the Weinstein Company, initially announced two years ago, although he swiftly bowed out, to be replaced by Jonathan Demme. The project, while completed, didn’t meet the standards of financier Steve Bing, although Demme told us last year that he was proud of the film, and hopes it’ll eventually see the light of day. The Weinsteins were also developing a biopic, based around Marley’s wife Rita’s book “No Woman No Cry: My Life With Bob Marley.” However, the biopic stalled along with the documentary, with reports surfacing that it might be delayed til as long as 2015.
But from across the pond comes news of a new British-backed project focusing on the reggae star, from director Jenny Ash, who was nominated for an Emmy for the documentary mini-series “America: A Story of Us.” The project would focus on Marley’s exile in London in 1977, between his attempted murder in Jamaica and the soccer injury that would eventually lead to the cancer that killed him.
The year saw his legendary gig at the Rainbow Theatre in Finsbury Park, as well as an affair with newly-crowned Miss World Cindy Breakspeare (which will likely form the focus of the script), and Marley’s intersection with the punk scene. It certainly seems the right approach — to focus on a particular time in Marley’s life, rather than to take on too much. It’s set up at Greenacre Films, although there’s no word on financing or casting yet. In the meantime, check out Marley at the Rainbow Theatre below. [Deadline]