Making the biopic Bob Marley: One Love proved to be an 'emotional journey' for singer's son Ziggy

The music of Bob Marley could rightly be called timeless. The greatest-hits compilation Legend went platinum years after his death, and anyone who listens to his songs for the first time in 2023 would surely find something to love. The upcoming biopic Bob Marley: One Love, set to hit theaters next year, will finally tell (part of) the story of the man behind the music — and we have our first look at the iconic singer-songwriter as portrayed by Kingsley Ben-Adir (One Night in Miami) in the new trailer.

Bob Marley: One Love is directed by Reinaldo Marcus Green (King Richard) and produced by Marley's son, Ziggy Marley. Authenticity was a high priority for the two, as they recently explained to EW.

"To get the blessing of Ziggy and the family to come on and be the steward of the ship was significant for me because I knew that I was gonna get access to things that aren't in the public domain: real conversations and memories from people who were there in the room," Green tells EW. "Ziggy was young, but he was still there. And when you are 11 or 12, that's the most impressionable time. You do remember a lot from those periods of time."

Paramount Pictures Kingsley Ben-Adir in 'Bob Marley: One Love'

The filmmaking process was educational in both directions, according to Ziggy.

"It was exciting and emotional," Ziggy says. "I was very focused on making sure that we represented him right, and being given that responsibility to help Reinaldo was a very serious thing for me. We explored different elements of Bob that people don't know, different emotions that he went through. I actually learned some stuff, too. As someone who was there in this time period, it brings back a lot of memories and things that were hidden inside of me before. It was a very emotional journey."

While many musical biopics span multiple years of a subject's life, Bob Marley: One Love is focused on a very specific stretch leading up to Marley's performance at the One Love Peace Concert in 1978, which happened amidst a violent political crisis in Jamaica.

"We knew from the very beginning that we didn't want to do a cradle-to-grave story," Green says. "At this particular period in time, '76-77, a lot was happening in Bob's life. It was a period of great creative genius, but he was also dealing with a lot, including cancer. He was challenged as a man, as a father and husband, as a musician. So it's a snapshot of his life that speaks to his entire life. There are flashes to his earlier life and childhood, but it's not about when he was born and when he died. We felt this movie was more about how his music lives on and how his message continues to spread."

Paramount Pictures Kingsley Ben-Adir in 'Bob Marley: One Love'

Ziggy adds, "If you wanna know Bob Marley, you have to know this period of time. These are the moments that really transformed him into the person who we know him as today."

Ben-Adir's preparation for the role included learning how to play guitar, and he performs Marley's music (mixed and matched with archival recordings) throughout the film. But the history of '70s Jamaica as seen in the film will also give viewers a new understanding of the iconic songs.

"We all know the tunes and we can dance to them, but we don't understand the lyrics," Green says. "Jamaica was going through a very tumultuous time at that time. The film shows that broader political context, and breaks it down in a way that lets you not just hear the music, but listen to it."

Bob Marley: One Love will hit theaters this Jan. 12. Check out the trailer above.

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