Words Jim Roberts

Kingsley Ben-Adir is Robert Nesta Marley, a man better known to the world as Bob Marley, in this stirring tribute to the rise of reggae and one of the world’s most famous music icons, whose story comes to the big screen for the very first time.

King Richard director Reinaldo Marcus Green serves his second biopic in recent years where he works closely with the Marley family – son Ziggy, daughter Cedella, and widow Rita as producers – to ensure that when it comes to authenticity, every little thing is gonna be alright.

Starting from humble beginnings in the slums of Kingston, the film charts Marley’s meteoric rise to global stardom and the risks he takes to broadcast his Rastafarian message of equality and social reform in the face of gang warfare, racial discrimination, and assassination attempts. After one of the latter forces him into English exile, the story takes an intimate look at the man behind the mic as he contends with the responsibilities that come with such celebrity status and how the love of Rita, played by Lashana Lynch, helps him find his voice to sing his redemption songs.

Culminating in the iconic One Love Peace concert back in his homeland in 1978, Bob Marley’s story is one of imagination, hope, and the power of music to unite people from all walks of life; promising a rousing tribute that’s sure to have you jammin’ long into the night.

Track Record

With the film primarily set on our shores, it’s fitting that a British actor with Caribbean heritage is playing the Reggae King. Sporting the legendary singer’s famous dreadlocks, Kingsley Ben-Air certainly looks the part, but he’s also got the Marley family’s blessing and acting pedigree to suggest that his transformative performance will stir it up. Best known for his roles in Peaky Blinders, Marvel’s Secret Invasion, and as one of the Kens in Barbie, Ben-Adir is also no stranger to portraying famous figures from history with award-winning portrayals of Malcolm X and President Barack Obama on his résumé. It’s awards season, so if Rami Malek’s Freddie Mercury and Austin Butler’s Elvis are anything to go by, this depiction could be about to strike an award-winning chord.