Paramount stirred it up at CinemaCon on Thursday, debuting an emotionally-charged first look at “Marley.”
The drama about Bob Marley, the pioneering reggae singer, stars Kingsley Ben-Adir, who won the role after a global casting search, as the music legend. He’s joined by Lashana Lynch, who plays the singer’s wife Rita Marley. Ziggy Marley, the reggae legend’s son, introduced the trailer on stage at CinemaCon, the annual exhibition industry trade show that’s unfolding this week in Las Vegas.
“It’s great to be here today on behalf of this movie about my father,” Ziggy Marley 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.”
Reinaldo Marcus Green, who directed Will Smith to an Oscar in “King Richard,” slides behind the camera on this one. Zach Baylin, Frank E. Flowers, and Terence Winter wrote the screenplay. At the very least, the movie will have a killer soundtrack. Marley created such enduring songs as “No Woman, No Cry,” “Exodus,” “Redemption Song,” “Could You Be Loved” and “Buffalo Soldier.”
The trailer shows a chameleonic Ben-Adir, a dead ringer for Marley, as he charts the singer’s incredible journey from humble early days in Jamaica to global stardom. There are scenes of Marley performing in cavernous stadiums in front of adoring crowds, as well as scenes of him with his family and relaxing while playing soccer. It all closes with one of Marley’s most enduing maxims: “One love, one heart, one destiny.”
Physical production just wrapped on “Marley.” It hits theaters on January 12, 2024. “People will deepen their connection to Bob and honor Bob in the right way,” Ziggy Marley promised.
Paramount also teased such upcoming films as “Mission Impossible: Dead Reckoning,” “Transformers: Rise of the Beasts,” and “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem.”