He may be the talk of the town at the moment, given his head-turning, antagonistic role of Gravik in the MCU’s Secret Invasion, or as a variant of Ken in Greta Gerwig’s upcoming box office heavyweight Barbie, but the résumé of Kingsley Ben-Adir goes much deeper than one may think.
Indeed, beyond an alien terrorist and one of many Kens, Ben-Adir has also brought such illustrious figures as Malcolm X and Barack Obama to life over the course of his career, making for a historical portfolio that’s as impressive as his fantasy one.
But now, Ben-Adir is really set to hit the big time in the former department with Bob Marley: One Love, where he’ll portray the eponymous reggae pioneer, and thanks to the film’s brand new, striking trailer, we’re all but certain that the Peaky Blinders star is going to do the legendary artist proud.
From his rise to the stage to his fateful battle with cancer, One Love, based on Marley’s song of the same name that was voted “song of the millennium” by the BBC, will document the turbulent, remarkable life of Bob Marley as Ben-Adir is joined by such co-stars as Jesse Cilio, James Norton, Michael Gandolfini, Nadine Marshall, Anthony Welsh, and fellow MCU star Lashana Lynch, who portrays the artist’s wife Rita.
Reinaldo Marcus Green, who helmed the Academy Award-nominated King Richard, serves as director with a script from Zach Baylin (King Richard), Terence Winter (The Sopranos, The Wolf of Wall Street) and Frank E. Flowers.
Bob Marley: One Love will release to theaters on January 12, 2024.