Kingsley Ben-Adir Cast As Bob Marley In Upcoming Biopic

The Bob Marley biopic has finally found its star!

After an international hunt for the "Is This Love" singer, Deadline reported that the search was finally over.

Paramount Pictures has reportedly cast Kinglsey Ben-Adir as the iconic Jamaican singer. Ben-Adir had previously achieved fame for starring as Malcolm X in "One Night in Miami."

Although sources describe it as a tight race, Ben-Adir emerged as a frontrunner after his breakout role in Netflix's "The OA." He has recently portrayed other notable historical figures, such as former President Barack Obama on Showtime's "The Comey Rule."

Ben-Adir has also joined the Marvel Cinematic Universe and will play the villain in Marvel's "Secret Invasion" alongside Samuel L. Jackson, who will be reprising his role as Nick Fury.

"King Richard" creator Reinaldo Marcus Green is slated to direct the feature. Ziggy Marley, Rita Marley, and Cedella Marley will also serve as producers of the film alongside Robert Teitel.

Singer Bob Marley was born on February 6, 1945, in Nine Mile, Jamaica under the name Robert Nesta Marley. The Jamaican singer, songwriter, and musician is considered one of the pioneers of reggae. He was known for fusing elements of reggae, ska, and rocksteady into his work. He has also received fame due to his distinctive voice and songwriting.

The "Buffalo Soldier" singer became a Rastafari icon and was widely considered to be an international symbol of Jamaican music and culture. He openly supported the legalization of marijuana and Pan-Africanism.

Marley's music career began in 1963 after he formed a band called the Teenagers alongside Peter Tosh and Bunny Wailer. The band would later become known as The Wailers. They released their debut album “The Wailing Wailers” in 1965, which contained the hit song "One Love."

The band ultimately went on to release 11 studio albums and later became known as Bob Marley and the Wailers after they signed with Island Records. The record label helped the band reach an international audience, but their new success was short-lived. Although they released two albums in 1973 – “Catch a Fire” and “Burnin'” – they disbanded a year later. However, Marley continued on under the band’s name and released several more albums.

In 1966, Marley married Rita Marley and the couple stayed together until his death on May 11, 1981. He passed away in Jackson Memorial Hospital in Miami, Florida.

In July 1977, Marley had been diagnosed with a type of malignant melanoma under his toenail. Afraid that amputating the toe would limit his ability to perform, Marley tried to treat his toe with alternative methods.

Unfortunately, in 1980, he collapsed while out for a jog in Central Park in New York City. He was immediately transported to a hospital, where doctors discovered that cancer had spread to his brain, lungs, and liver. He passed away less than a year later. He was given a state funeral in Jamaica on May 21, 1981, and was buried in a chapel near his birthplace with his guitar.

Although he passed away decades ago, his legend continues to live on. His greatest hits album “Legend” (1984) is the best-selling reggae album of all time. He is also widely regarded as one of the best-selling music artists of all time, with more than 75 million records sold worldwide.

After his death, he was honored by Jamaica with a designated Order of Merit. He was posthumously inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1994. Rolling Stone has also ranked him number eleven on the list of 100 Greatest Artists of All Time.

Although Bob Marley has passed on, his wife is still alive at 75-years-old. On Twitter, she posted a special message to celebrate what would have been their 56th wedding anniversary.

It seems fitting that the news that Kingsley Ben-Adir would be cast as Bob Marley on a day that is clearly so important to his life.

No release date for the Bob Marley biopic has yet to be announced.