‘King Richard’ director teases his Bob Marley biopic

Reinaldo Marcus Green’s latest feature King Richard has been winning rave reviews since debuting last week, with the disappointing box office numbers being somewhat offset by a strong showing on HBO Max.

The biopic charting the role Venus and Serena Williams’ father played in their rise from the streets of Compton to global superstars and tennis icons is every bit as uplifting and inspiring as you’d imagine, with Will Smith firmly established as the front-runner in the race to be named Best Actor at the next Academy Awards.

In an interview with Collider, Green confirmed that he’d be sticking with the biographical drama genre for a little while longer, revealing that his next project will focus on Bob Marley during the period of the reggae legend’s life where he put together the classic album “Exodus”.

“Ziggy Marley is, right, my point of contact for the film, and producer on the project. So we’re full steam ahead. I’ve brought on Zach Baylin to help me write it, which is great bringing our team back together. Hopefully, we’ll have a script very soon. I’m really excited about that one… Our film starts in ’76 and really it’s about the making of “Exodus”… Look, it’s open season right now. Anything’s possible. We don’t have any cast, so yeah, absolutely. I’m open to finding, discovering someone completely brand new, could be a family member. I’m open to anything at this point. The best actor for the role.”

Much like King Richard, Green’s Bob Marley movie is being written alongside Zach Baylin and will feature significant input from the late musician’s family, which can often be a detriment to a true-life story, but the presence of Venus and Serena as executive producers didn’t hamper the film in the slightest. Marley remains a huge figure in the realms of music and pop culture at large, so it’s actually a little surprising that a prestige Hollywood biopic has taken so long to come together.