For years now, filmmakers have been planning either documentaries or biopics focused around music legend Bob Marley. Names such as Martin Scorsese have been attached to projects, but none have come to fruition. Touching the Void director Kevin Macdonald aims to change all that, signing up to make a new look at the man’s life, Marley.
Aiming to deliver the definitive look at Bob Marley’s appeal and impact on music history, Macdonald has the support of the Marley family, which means he’ll get full access to their private archives of documents and footage. On the downside, it means that the family will be heavily involved, so this’ll be an authorised piece that could sidestep more controversial issues. Hopefully, he’ll convince them to let him tell the whole story, while shooting here in the UK and in Ghana, Japan and Jamaica.
“I was already intrigued by the Marley story but the way in which this film is developing, as we delve through the archive materials and interview key characters in his life, has surpassed my expectations,” says the director in a statement. “What made Bob tick is probably unanswerable but viewers will certainly feel that they know him a little better after seeing our documentary. I am grateful to the Marley family for entrusting me with their heritage.”
The plan is for the film to arrive later this year, which marks the 30th anniversary of Marley’s death in 1981.