British actor Lashana Lynch has been selected to play the role of Bob Marley’s wife, Rita, in Paramount’s coming biopic of the legendary Jamaican reggae musician directed by Reinaldo Marcus Green, who previously directed the film, “King Richard.” The role of Bob Marley will be portrayed by Kingsley Ben-Adir.
Lynch, 34, was chosen after an extensive casting effort. The requirements included finding someone who was of Jamaican descent. While Lynch was born in London, her family comes from the Caribbean island nation. After a number of tests, including readings with Ben-Adir, Lynch convinced the film’s executives, as well as Rita Marley herself and other members of the Marley family that she was the right actor for the job. Rita and the other Marleys all gave their blessings to the casting of Lynch.
Rita, Ziggy, and Cedella Marley will produce the film on behalf of Tuff Gong, along with Robert Teitel. The script is being written by director Green and Zach Baylin.
Lashana was born in 1987 in London and is of Jamaican descent. She attended Twyford CofE High School and the ArtsEd drama school in London. She is best known for her appearance in the ABC drama series, “Still Star-Crossed” in 2017, her role as “Maria Rambeau” in “Captain Marvel” for Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) films in 2019, and as “Agent Nomi” in the James Bond franchise film “No Time to Die” in 2021. She has won numerous awards including the BAFTA Rising Star Award in 2022.
Lynch has become a top film attraction due to her performance in the James Bond picture, as well as for her role in “Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness” from MCU. She is next slated to appear in “The Woman King” for Sony, which has already given rise to award-season rumors, and she will feature as “Ms. Honey” in the “Matilda” adaptation from Netflix.
Musician Bob Marley died of cancer in 1981 at the age of 36, but in his short life, he changed the music landscape by introducing new audiences to Jamaican reggae with his songs, “Get Up, Stand Up,” “One Love,” “No Woman, No Cry,” “Jammin’,” and “Redemption Song.”
Fans generally remember Bob Marley for his reggae music and political activism, but the love story of Bob and Rita has its own significance and is a critical part of Marley’s life story. The duo met when Rita was a young singer and Bob was a member of The Wailers. When Rita joined The Soulettes singing group, Marley acted as its mentor, and the rest is history.
Lynch is represented by CAA in the United States, the BWH Agency in the United Kingdom, Danielle Robinson, and Sloane Offer.
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