Who Plays Bob Marley In The New One Love Movie?

These days it seems the only thing Hollywood loves more than making up outlandish works of fiction is telling stories based on real people and actual events. One look at the release slates of most studios and streamers will confirm the biopic and historical drama train will continue to roll for the foreseeable future. And that list now includes Paramount's long-in-the-works biodrama "Bob Marley: One Love."

Set for release in January 2024, "Bob Marley: One Love" is directed by "King Richard" alum Reinaldo Marcus Green. The film will reportedly span much of Marley's life in the spotlight as both an icon of Reggae music and a key figure in the political unrest that dogged his native Jamaica throughout the 1960s and '70s. If you've caught the recently-released trailer for "One Love," you know Green is approaching that story with no shortage of reverence for Marley and everything he stood for. You likely also recognized the man behind the disarming smile and dreadlocks, as Kingsley Ben-Adir was cast to portray the legendary musician in the film.

If the actor's name and face are familiar to you, it's likely because you're a fan of Marvel's latest streaming effort, as Ben-Adir portrays Skrull radical Gravik in "Secret Invasion." As for "One Love," well, those who've been following Ben-Adir's career can tell you Bob Marley is hardly the first cultural icon he's portrayed on screen.

Kingsley Ben-Adir is indeed making a bit of a habit of playing Black icons on both the big and small screen at this stage in his career. Prior to playing Bob Marley in "Bob Marley: One Love," the actor was, perhaps, best known for playing Malcolm X in 2020's Regina King-helmed "One Night In Miami." Ben-Adir worked opposite a troupe of rising stars in the film, with Aldis Hodge, Leslie Odom Jr., and Eli Goree co-starring. That very same year, Ben-Adair also turned up as U.S. President Barack Obama in the Showtime mini-series "The Comey Rule."

As for where else you might've seen Kingsley Ben-Adir, the British-born actor made the rounds on UK small screens early in his career, scoring roles on staples like "Marple," "Midsomer Murders," "Vera," and "Death in Paradise." He also played a part in 2016's lauded UK indie "Trespass Against Us" (opposite Brendan Gleeson and Michael Fassbender), as well as the far less-celebrated blockbuster "King Arthur: Legend of the Sword." Ben-Adir would go on to make five appearances as Col. Ben Younger in the hit series "Peaky Blinders" and play a major role as a private detective in the mind-bending second season of "The OA." He also played Zoë Kravitz's wayward lover Mac in Hulu's "High Fidelity." 

Most recently, Ben-Adir turned up for single episodes of Anna Kendrick's HBO dramedy "Love Life," and Amazon's star-studded anthology, "Soul Mates." And he's soon to portray one of several Kens in Greta Gerwig's blockbuster comedy "Barbie."