Lashana Lynch — who portrayed MI6 agent Nomi in the James Bond motion picture — is said to be in line to take on the role of Rita Marley in the as-yet untitled film for Paramount.
Sources have told Deadline that there was a lengthy search to find the right actress for the part, and movie bosses were keen to find someone of Jamaican descent. While Lynch was born in London, her family is from Jamaica.
Rita and the Marley family are said to have given their blessing to Lynch being cast in the film. Kingsley Ben-Adir is set to portray the legendary singer in the movie, which will be helmed by King Richard director Reinaldo Marcus Green and produced by Rita and her and Bob’s son Ziggy, and daughter Cedella Marley.
Bob Marley, who tragically succumbed to cancer in 1981 at the age of 36, is widely considered one of the pioneers of reggae music. The late star had 11 children with seven different partners, and Ziggy, 51, previously admitted his mother Rita, 76, Bob’s widow, treated them all like her own.
“Some people didn’t approve of Bob seeing other women while he was married to my mother, but I didn’t know too much about it, so it never bothered me. I know that my mother didn’t like it, but she wasn’t the kind of person to be vindictive or jealous. As far as she was concerned, Damian [whose mother is Cindy Breakspeare, a former Miss World] was Bob’s child and all of Bob’s children were her children too,” Ziggy Marley said.
While Bob Marley was known as the king of chill, Ziggy Marley previously admitted his father could be a tough parent because he was aware of the “danger” of life in Jamaica.
“Growing up in Jamaica in the 1970s could be dangerous. There were guns everywhere. But as a kid, the danger felt exciting. Every day was an adventure. I did not understand the seriousness of the situation. There were times when my father would tell me not to play on the street because he wanted to keep me safe. If I disobeyed him, he would give me a spanking.
“People think Bob was laid-back about everything, but he was tough when it came to discipline. That is a traditional type of Caribbean parenting — old-school. Kids grow up very differently today,” Ziggy Marley said.
