Source: Pascal Le Segretain / Getty
The upcoming Bob Marley biopic has found its Rita, and it’s none other than No Time To Die star Lashana Lynch.
Deadline exclusively reports that after an extensive search, Lashana Lynch was tapped to take on the role of the late Bob Marley’s wife Rita in the upcoming Paramount biopic. The film will be directed by King Richard helmer Reinaldo Marcus Green starring Kingsley Ben-Adir as the iconic Reggae artist.
Lashana Lynch Met The Criteria For The Role
The website reports, like the previous search for who will play Bob Marley, the criteria for the role of Rita was an actress of Jamaican decent.
Per Deadline:
Similar to the casting of Bob, a large net was cast when it came to finding the right person to play Rita including looking to find someone with Jamaican descent (Lynch was born in England but her family comes from Jamaica). Following several tests including chemistry reads with Ben-Adir, Lynch not only won over execs but also Rita and the Marley family, who all gave their blessing to the casting.
While audiences remember Bob for his impact on the Reggae scene and political activism, his and Rita’s love story has its own timeless feel to it and is equally essential part to telling his incredible life story. The two met when Rita was a young singer and Bob was still a member of the Wailers vocal trio. After she joined The Soulettes, Marley began mentoring the group, which ultimately led to the two falling in love.
For those worried about the film’s authenticity and if the family would be involved, Deadline reports Marley’s children, Rita, Ziggy, and Cedella Marley, will produce the film on behalf of Tuff Gong.
Lynch is coming off her fantastic performance in No Time Die opposite Daniel Craig as the first Black woman to take over the 007 designation.
She also had a brief cameo in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of The Madness and will return in Marvel Studios’ film, The Marvels.
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Photo: Pascal Le Segretain / Getty