‘The Punisher: One Last Kill’ will premiere May 12th on Disney+.
Preview:
Jon Bernthal has confirmed the title and date for his ‘Punisher’ special episode.
‘Punisher: One Last Kill’ will land on Disney+.
The show is due on May 12.
While Jon Bernthal’s Frank Castle –– AKA the vigilante called The Punisher –– was a factor in ‘Daredevil: Born Again’s first season, he’s not so involved in the second.
What’s the story of ‘The Punisher: One Last Kill’?
Jon Bernthal as Frank Castle in Marvel’s ‘The Punisher.’ Photo: Netflix.
Co-written by Bernthal and filmmaker Reinaldo Marcus Green (who directs), the special’s storyline has yet to be officially confirmed, but there is a logline floating around: “As Frank Castle searches for meaning beyond revenge, an unexpected force pulls him back into the fight.”
So take that for what you will!
When will ‘The Punisher: One Last Kill’ head to Disney+?
We do at least have some official details on when the new special episode will land on Disney+ – May 12.
‘The Punisher: One Last Kill’ will premiere May 12th on Disney+.
Movies and TV Shows Featuring Characters in ‘Daredevil: Born Again:’
Jon Bernthal as Frank Castle in Marvel’s ‘The Punisher.’ Photo: Netflix.
Preview:
Jon Bernthal will be back as Frank “The Punisher” Castle for a new Marvel special.
He’s also returning for ‘Daredevil: Born Again.’
Bernthal will co-write the special with ‘King Richard’ director Reinaldo Marcus Green.
Crime might not pay, but vengeance appears to be profitable for Disney going forward.
With Jon Bernthal’s tough nut vigilante Frank Castle –– also known as The Punisher –– back on our screens for next month’s ‘Daredevil: Born Again,’ which will find him once more interacting with Charlie Cox’s blind lawyer-turned-super-sensory-hero Matt Murdock, Entertainment Weekly brings word that we can expect more from Bernthal in 2026.
It’s a big vote of confidence in both the character and Bernthal’s portrayal and shows that Marvel is willing to further explore other avenues for its characters. And The Punisher is certainly a popular comic book creation.
‘Born Again,’ meanwhile, revisits the Daredevil character as portrayed in the Marvel/Netflix series that ran between 2015 and 2018. After its initial episodes were filmed, Marvel decided to overhaul it creatively and bringing it closer in story to the Netflix run.
Jon Bernthal as Frank Castle in Marvel’s ‘The Punisher.’
Exact details of the story have yet to be revealed, but unless it’s a complete stand-alone, chances are it ties into the ongoing Castle story explored in ‘Born Again,’ so it’s perhaps not surprising that Marvel doesn’t want to spill too much.
But here’s what Brad Winderbaum, head of Marvel Television, told EW:
“It’s like a shotgun blast of a story, but also has all the pathos and emotion that you want out of a Frank Castle story. It’s so exciting.”
Castle will come back into Murdock’s life in ‘Born Again’ at the lawyer’s request because Matt needs help with something handled that he’s unwilling to do, and Frank naturally dives in all guns blazing.
The new story marks even more involvement for Bernthal than usual –– he co-wrote the new special’s script with filmmaker Reinaldo Marcus Green, and the latter will direct the one-off.
Jon Bernthal as Frank Castle in Marvel’s ‘The Punisher.’ Photo: Netflix.
The character was created by writer Gerry Conway and artists John Romita Sr. and Ross Andru and made his first appearance in ‘The Amazing Spider-Man #129’ in 1974 originally depicted as an assassin and adversary of the web-slinger.
The character is traditionally depicted as an Italian-American vigilante who employs murder, kidnapping, extortion, coercion, threats of violence, and torture in his campaign against crime.
On the big screen, he’s been portrayed by the likes of Dolph Lundgren, Thomas Jane and Ray Stevenson, while Bernthal played him in the second season of the Netflix ‘Daredevil’ series and in his own aforementioned titular show.
Here’s what Winderbaum said of Bernthal’s work:
“Bernthal is a generational actor. He’s incredible what he brings to all the roles he plays, but particularly Frank Castle. And he’s a great writer. He knows the character inside and out…. Also, I love Punisher, but I love Jon’s Punisher in particular. The idea that he’s in the MCU and can bring that to the greater universe, especially the more grounded street-level stuff, is a huge opportunity and, as a fan, the greatest thing ever.”
What of the other Marvel/Netflix characters?
(L to R) Krysten Ritter, Finn Jones, Charlie Cox and Mike Colter in ‘The Defenders’. Photo: Netflix.
While Matt Murdock and his associated characters are returning for ‘Born Again,’ there hasn’t been much movement on the rest of the ‘Defenders’ line-up from the Netflix days, including Krysten Ritter’s Jessica Jones, Mike Colter’s Luke Cage, and Finn Jones’ Danny Rand/Iron Fist.
But Winderbaum has said that they might get their turn:
“I can’t say much. But I’ll tell you that It’s so exciting to be able to play in that sandbox… I can just say that all those variables taken into account, it is certainly something that is creatively extremely exciting and that we are very much exploring.”
When will the ‘Punisher’ Marvel special be on screens?
The current plan for the new special is for it to hit screens next year, around the same time as the second season of ‘Daredevil: Born Again.’ Which means we can expect plenty of Punisher content in 2026…
And the first season of ‘Born Again,’ which as mentioned includes Bernthal, kicks off on March 4th on Disney+.
Marvel Studios’ ‘Daredevil: Born Again.’
Movies and TV Shows Featuring Characters in ‘Daredevil: Born Again:’
Ziggy Marley attend the Los Angeles Premiere of “Bob Marley: One Love” at the Regency Village Theatre in Los Angeles, CA on Tuesday, February 6th, 2024. Photo: Alex J. Berliner/ABImages.
Moviefone recently had the pleasure of speaking with Bob’s son, producer Ziggy Marley about his work on ‘Bob Marley: One Love.’ Marley discussed his father’s legacy, getting the movie made, Kingsley Ben-Adir and Lashana Lynch’s performances, being on set, the music and working with director Reinaldo Marcus Green, as well as Ziggy’s voice work in ‘Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse‘.
You can read the full interview below or click on the video player above to watch our interview.
Producer Ziggy Marley in ‘Bob Marley: One Love’ from Paramount Pictures.
Moviefone: To begin with, can you talk about the long road to getting this movie made? Was there a point when you thought it might not happen, and how do you feel about the final film?
Ziggy Marley: I was okay if it happened and okay if it didn’t happen. So, it’s like I’m going to leave it in the hands of the universe. If it’s supposed to happen, it’s going to happen. So, I’m not thinking at any point in time, we knew it. We spoke within ourselves, the creative team and Kingsley and Lashana, that if at any point we feel like we’re not doing this thing right, we must stop it. We can’t put out something that we don’t feel is the right representation of Bob. So that was the only thing that was always right there. But otherwise, we’re positive people, you know?
Kingsley Ben-Adir as “Bob Marley” in ‘Bob Marley: One Love’ from Paramount Pictures.
MF: Can you talk about finding Kingsley Ben-Adir to play your father and what did you think of his performance?
ZM: We looked everywhere. We looked all over. We wanted somebody from Jamaica, obviously that would’ve been the greatest choice, who knows the culture, can talk the dialect properly. So, we’re looking at Jamaica too. But we also needed somebody who can act up to a level of the art of acting. The art of acting is an art. It’s not something where you cannot do it good for the first time. I must practice my art to be good at it. So, the acting ability of Kingsley, I think is what kind of pushed him past anybody else. In his acting ability, what he was able to do is bring an emotional connection to the character of how he was representing it to us. That emotional connection. Some other guy might have looked like Bob more and might have talked like Bob more. Who knows? But the emotional part of it for connecting with people, connecting with me, connecting with you, that’s art. Bob had that art as a human being. So, whoever played him had to also have that art as an actor. I think that’s what we went for, you know?
(L to R) Kingsley Ben-Adir as “Bob Marley” and Lashana Lynch as “Rita Marley” in ‘Bob Marley: One Love’ from Paramount Pictures.
MF: What did you think about Lashana Lynch’s performance as your mother, Rita?
ZM: Lashana is good. She has Jamaican heritage. Her mom is Jamaican. So, she has that connection, and she reminds me of my mother in terms of that she is a queenly woman, and an African queen. It’s not your everyday run-of-the-mill girl. This is a different character of person. So that is powerful. Even before they start acting, who you are as a human being is already a force that we can feel and love. When we spoke to her, we on the same page. Because she knows the culture, she knows it. She met with my mother, and she advocated for a stronger Rita. It was funny, I tell you a secret, right? So, the script was being written by guys. I put in a word here or there, but basically, its men writing the script. Now there is this female character that the men are writing about. So, Lashana and my sister Cedella were like, “Come on. She needs more fire.” I was like, “You’re right.” Because it’s a bunch of men who wrote it. This woman needs a woman’s perspective, a strong woman. We don’t know anything about that. So that was a beautiful moment. That was what was good about the process, is that we all could put input into it. Nobody was like, “It’s my way.” Everybody can put in something into it, you know?
Kingsley Ben-Adir as “Bob Marley” in ‘Bob Marley: One Love’ from Paramount Pictures.
MF: What was it like for you to be on set and then see your childhood recreated on screen?
ZM: Listen, the whole thing for me, I have it in perspective. I stay in perspective. But for me it was entertainment. I’m watching a movie being made that’s entertaining to me. I’m seeing how this stuff works. So, for me, I’m a fan of movies and I’m a fan of movie making. So, I had so many different perspectives on it, and I never really get too emotional during the process or to surreal or anything like that. It was enjoyable though. I like the kids that played us too. The children did very well.
(L to R) Stefan Wade as “Seeco Patterson”, Lashana Lynch as “Rita Marley”, Aston Barrett Jr. as “Family Man Barrett”, Tosin Cole as “Tyrone Downie”, Kingsley Ben-Adir as “Bob Marley”, Hector ‘Roots’ Lewis as “Carly Barrett”, “Antonio ‘Gillie’ Gilbert”, Anna-Sharé Blake as “Judy Mowatt”, Sheldon Shepherd as “Neville Garrick” and Andrae Simpson as “Don Kinsey” in ‘Bob Marley: One Love’ from Paramount Pictures.
MF: Can you talk about choosing the music for the movie and was there one song of your father’s that you wish could have included but that you just didn’t have time for?
ZM: I mean there’s some sound that we got in on the credits at the end. Like, “Rasta Man Chant.” Yeah, there’s a lot of stuff that we wish we would have, but during the process, again, we got to follow the truth. If something doesn’t fit, what I learned from it, and this is my first time doing it, or what I got from it while even doing the editing is that after a while the movie or the piece of art is going to tell you what it wants to be. You can try to fight that all you want. You’re going to lose that fight if you don’t follow what the art is telling you. If your intention is to placate to something else other than the art, then you’re doing something else. So, there was so much stuff that we love, and we tried a million times but at the end of the day, the piece of art was saying, “No. Sorry.” So, we must be humble, you know?
(L to R) Director Reinaldo Marcus Green and Lashana Lynch as “Rita Marley” in ‘Bob Marley: One Love’ from Paramount Pictures.
MF: What was it like working with director Reinaldo Marcus Green to tell your family’s story?
ZM: He made it easy for me because he was open, and he still wants to learn too, as we all should. I’m still learning stuff. Nobody is perfect. We’re still learning. So, Reinaldo also is in his growth process, and that energy is a great energy to create with. Not a process of where something is already locked into a certain set of what it is or who you are, but somebody who is still searching and evolving. That’s how you make good art, really. With that creative energy that is not yet jaded. So that is what’s beautiful about Reinaldo. I watched some of his stuff. I never watched ‘King Richard’ but I watched some of the stuff he did before, some of his short films. I just liked him, and I liked the energy. As a human being, we have a good connection with everybody. The whole cast, the whole crew, with Reinaldo, it was like a family. But yeah, man, Reinaldo is a great man and a great director. I can’t wait to see something else that he does. Looking forward to it.
Spider-Man/Miles Morales (Shameik Moore) in Columbia Pictures and Sony Pictures Animations’ ‘Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse.’
MF: Finally, you made a voice cameo in ‘Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse.” How did that happen?
ZM: I love Spider-Man, me a Spider-Man fan. So, when them ask me, me going to say, “Yes.” But I’ve been doing voiceover stuff for a while. I did ‘Shark Tale’ and I did some TV stuff too. But when Spider-Man calls, I got to go.
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What is the Plot of ‘Bob Marley: One Love’?
Jamaican singer-songwriter Bob Marley (Kingsley Ben-Adir) overcomes adversity to become the most famous reggae musician in the world.
Kingsley Ben-Adir at the ‘Bob Marley: One Love’ premiere. Photo: Alex J. Berliner/ABImages.
Moviefone recently had the pleasure of speaking with Kingsley Ben-Adir about his work on ‘Bob Marley: One Love,’ what audience can expect from the new movie, and how he prepared to play the iconic Bob Marley.
You can read the full interview below or click on the video layer above to watch our interviews with Ben-Adir and director Reinaldo Marcus Green.
Kingsley Ben-Adir stars in ‘Bob Marley: One Love.’
Moviefone: To begin with, what would you say to audience members getting ready to watch this movie to prepare them for the theatrical experience they are about to have?
Kingsley Ben-Adir: It’s a movie that’s looking at a specific period of Bob’s life, it starts in 1976. But the journey for me, from the beginning really with Ziggy Marley, with the family, and with Bob’s friends and people who knew him and who loved him, our journey was about trying to tap into a little bit of Bob’s spirit and to find a human side to him. Everyone’s got an idea of who Bob is, but on a personal level, the exploration of trying to understand what he was going through at that time. I feel for the fans or people who don’t know Bob, in the context of this story, to understand him on a personal level is to connect with him on a personal level and is to see the issues that Bob experienced or the struggles that Bob experienced and to feel connected to him. To be like, “Oh, I may have felt that too.” We wanted you to see the human side to him. It’s what was interesting for me in the journey of making the film, but I also think in connecting with audiences emotionally, we have the music for free, people are going to connect with that. But to see him on a journey, a human journey, I hope will have a similar impact, to understand the spirit of Bob a little bit more and to re-engage with the music and the lyrics. When you study Bob’s songs and you understand the full meaning of what he’s saying from the beginning to the end, the power of the music elevates to another level. I had to have an honest conversation with myself and be like, “I didn’t understand everything Bob was saying at the beginning.” I had to really study the language of Jamaican Patois, and I did that with the family and Jamaicans who surrounded the project. It’s an experience where I hope they feel a little closer to Bob maybe.
Kingsley Ben-Adir as “Bob Marley” in ‘Bob Marley: One Love’ from Paramount Pictures.
MF: Finally, can you talk about your research and preparation for this role and how you approached playing someone as iconic as Bob Marley?
KBA: It was just an understanding from the beginning that there’s only one Bob. I’m never going to try and pretend to be Bob; I can only really try and access a little bit of his spirit and understand and empathize with what he was going through at that time. It must’ve been a lot. He nearly died. Then he had to go into exile in London and he was there for two years, and he made that album and then he got the diagnosis. There was a huge amount of pressure on his shoulders. From human to human, the tribute to him or the love letter from the family is like, “Dad, we see you. We see that you might have been going through some stuff.” But no one had time to see that because he’s got be the tough gun. Bob was the leader of many people; he employed many people. We wanted to tap into the private side of Bob when the cameras weren’t there, when he’s on his own in his room. What was it like when he’s just writing on his own? We had Neville Garrick with us every day on set, and Neville was also with Bob in London at the time in the room when Bob was writing the album. There was this connection of people who were there at the time with him that were with us.
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What is the Plot of ‘Bob Marley: One Love’?
Jamaican singer-songwriter Bob Marley (Kingsley Ben-Adir) overcomes adversity to become the most famous reggae musician in the world.
Bob Marley’s life and legacy comes into vivid scope in director Reinaldo Marcus Green’s captivating ‘Bob Marley: One Love.’ Actor Kingsley Ben-Adir gives a transcending performance in the title role, and Lashana Lynch is strong and elegant as Marley’s wife, Rita. While the movie does fall into some common biopic traps, and becomes predictable at times, Marley’s compelling story, his vibrant music, and the lead performances elevate the overall film.
Script and Direction
(L to R) Kingsley Ben-Adir as “Bob Marley” and Director Reinaldo Marcus Green in ‘Bob Marley: One Love’ from Paramount Pictures.
Written by Terence Winter, Frank E. Flowers, Zach Baylin and director Reinaldo Marcus Green, the movie begins with a brief flashback to Bob Marley’s (Kingsley Ben-Adir) childhood and quickly flash’s forward to the mid-1970s. Jamaica is in political turmoil. Marley is now a superstar and scheduled to perform a concert to bring the country together but has been urged not to attend. After an assassination attempt on Marley that leaves his wife Rita (Lashana Lynch) injured, Bob leaves Jamaica for London where he begins recording the ‘Exodus’ album.
The distance soon puts a strain on his marriage, while Marley navigates fame and betrayal within his own ranks. He eventually decides to tour Africa, but after he is diagnosed with cancer, and the political climate of Jamaica changes, he instead returns home from his self-imposed exile to unite his country one more time with a live-concert and his iconic music. The film also continues to flashback throughout revealing Marley’s tough childhood, putting together The Wailers, recording his first album, and meeting and falling in love with Rita.
(L to R) Lashana Lynch as “Rita Marley” and Kingsley Ben-Adir as “Bob Marley” in ‘Bob Marley: One Love’ from Paramount Pictures.
The script wisely focuses on Marley’s final years, and the structure, starting with the subject as a star and flashing back to show how he got there, is very refreshing. It allows the movie to start in first gear rather than revving up to the main story in chronological order. The flashbacks also work well within the context of the movie. But that doesn’t mean the film doesn’t fall into some common musical biopic traps, but more on that in a minute.
Director Reinaldo Marcus Green, coming off the Oscar-nominated ‘King Richard,’ sets a good pace and tone for the film, which is helped by the strong structure of the screenplay. Green wisely fills the movie with Marley’s music, fitting in all the hits, and even demonstrating how some of the songs were written. The concert scenes are excellently shot and bring Marley’s music vibrantly alive through Ben-Adir’s performance. While those scenes are highlights, equally compelling are the emotional scenes between Bob and Rita, which Green orchestrates well.
Kingsley Ben-Adir as Bob Marley
Kinglsey Ben-Adir as “Bob Marley” in ‘Bob Marley: One Love’ from Paramount Pictures.
Ben-Adir completely embodies Marley, becoming almost unrecognizable both in looks and voice. The actor successfully transforms himself into Marley in a very believable way. My big beef with Malek is he was lip-syncing and did not actually sing his own songs. My understanding is Ben-Adir sang live on set, but the final product is augmented with Marley’s actual voice. Be that the case, you can tell that Ben-Adir is giving it his all in the music scenes, moving and jumping with the same energy as the legendary singer himself.
But the actor also excels at capturing his majesty, his intensity, and his spirituality, especially in the quitter scenes. Ben-Adir brings a lot of emotion to his off-stage scenes, particularly those with Lynch. The chemistry between the two actors is apparent and brings an intensity to Bob and Rita’s relationship. While the actor does have the luxury of bringing with him all the love and respect that we as audience already have for Marley, Ben-Adir doesn’t rest on that and uses it to create a portrait of the real man behind the legend.
Lashana Lynch as Rita Marley
(L to R) Kingsley Ben-Adir as “Bob Marley” and Lashana Lynch as “Rita Marley” in ‘Bob Marley: One Love’ from Paramount Pictures.
Lashana Lynch is wonderful as Bob’s better half, Rita Marley and gives one of the best performances of her career. The actress is strong and graceful as Rita, who loves her husband but also knows he is meant for a greater purpose. Lynch lights up the screen every scene she is in and is fantastic opposite Ben-Adir. Since Rita was also a member of the Wailers, Lynch is required to sing in the film and is completely believable in the role.
Biopic Traps and Other Criticisms
(L to R) Stefan Wade as “Seeco Patterson”, Lashana Lynch as “Rita Marley”, Aston Barrett Jr. as “Family Man Barrett”, Tosin Cole as “Tyrone Downie”, Kingsley Ben-Adir as “Bob Marley”, Hector ‘Roots’ Lewis as “Carly Barrett”, “Antonio ‘Gillie’ Gilbert”, Anna-Sharé Blake as “Judy Mowatt”, Sheldon Shepherd as “Neville Garrick” and Andrae Simpson as “Don Kinsey” in ‘Bob Marley: One Love’ from Paramount Pictures.
As mentioned earlier, the film does fall into some common biopic traps and cliches. After the brief opening flashback, the movie then has about a minute and a half of title cards explaining how Marley became a star and what is happening in Jamaica when the movie begins. Since most audiences already know the basic story of Bob Marley, explaining how he became a star did not seem necessary, especially since it is eventually shown in flashbacks, and the political issues get explained through the course of the movie as well.
The film also has the traditional montage scene, which seems like a trope that has been played out. In this case, it was used for a concert tour and the recording of ‘Exodus,’ and was just included to show the passing of time while giving exposition needed for the rest of the third act. There seems like a smarter way to do that, but that said, those scenes do work but only because of Marley’s music.
My final criticism, while it was not as bad as director Baz Luhrmann’s ‘Elvis,’ I did feel like Marley’s story was somewhat sanitized. While they examined his music, political influence, and illness well, they glanced over his infidelities, and the impact that had on Rita and his marriage. There are a few brief references, including that he fathered other children, but it is barely explored.
Oscar 2025 Chances?
Kingsley Ben-Adir as “Bob Marley” in ‘Bob Marley: One Love’ from Paramount Pictures.
It’s obviously too early to make predictions on next year’s Oscars, but with two performances as good as Ben-Adir and Lynch’s, in a movie about someone as beloved as Bob Marley, you must wonder why the studio dumped this movie in February. It would make more sense if they took it to festivals this fall and opened it closer to next December for Oscar nominations.
As good as Ben-Adir and Lynch are, respectively, I fear this movie will be forgotten by the fall. While the film itself and the direction are probably not strong enough for nominations, the screenplay could have had a chance, and certainly Ben-Adir and Lynch would have been in the running, but unfortunately, even though it’s a good movie, it probably won’t be on people’s minds by the end of the year.
Final Thoughts
(L to R) Kingsley Ben-Adir as “Bob Marley”, Anna-Sharé Blake as “Judy Mowatt”, Lashana Lynch as “Rita Marley”, and Naomi Cowan as “Marcia Griffiths” in ‘Bob Marley: One Love’ from Paramount Pictures.
It might not be the best musician biopic of all time, ‘Bob Marley: One Love’ is a very entertaining and well-made movie that is worthy of the icon it is based on. While not perfect, the screenplay structure is clever, and the concert scenes and Marley’s music makes up for the rest. But its Kingsley Ben-Adir and Lashana Lynch’s transcending performances that really makes the movie rock!
‘Bob Marley: One Love’ receives 8 out of 10 stars.
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What is the Plot of ‘Bob Marley: One Love’?
Jamaican singer-songwriter Bob Marley (Kingsley Ben-Adir) overcomes adversity to become the most famous reggae musician in the world.
(Left) Marisa Abela as Amy Winehouse in ‘Back to Black.’ Photo: Studiocanal & Monumental Pictures. (Right) Kingsley Ben-Adir as Bob Marley in ‘Bob Marley: One Love.’ Photo: Paramount Pictures.
Preview:
Images from ‘Back to Black’ and ‘Bob Marley: One Love’ have arrived online.
The musical biopics chronicle two musical icons.
Both films will be out in 2024.
There has been a definite rise in the number of musical biopics in the last few years, spurred, most likely, by the Oscar-winning success of ‘Bohemian Rhapsody’. We’ve seen films about singing stars such as Elton John, Whitney Houston and “Weird Al” Yankovic brought to life on screen (that last one, admittedly more of a spoof version of the genre).
You can add two more to the list via upcoming movies –– Britain’s Amy Winehouse and Reggae icon Bob Marley. Winehouse’s story will be told in ‘Back to Black’ while Marley gets the cinematic treatment in ‘Bob Marley: One Love’.
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What’s the story of ‘Back to Black’?
Marisa Abela as Amy Winehouse in ‘Back to Black.’ Photo: Studiocanal & Monumental Pictures.
Directed by Sam Taylor-Johnson (who has form with musical folk via John Lennon film ‘Nowhere Boy’, the movie stars Marisa Abela as Winehouse, who was widely considered one of the greatest artists in recent history, selling more than 30 million records worldwide, and today generating more than 80 million streams per month.
Her acclaimed 2006 album “Back to Black”, propelled her to global stardom, going on to win a (at the time) record breaking 5 Grammy Awards, including Record Of The Year and Song of The Year for hit single “Rehab”. She got her start on the North London jazz circuit and rose to become a musical superstar. She tragically died of alcohol poisoning at the age of 27.
The movie will focus on Amy’s extraordinary genius, creativity and honesty that infused everything she did. A journey that took her from the craziness and color of 90’s Camden High Street to global adoration.
Marisa Abela stars as Amy Winehouse in director Sam Taylor-Johnson’s ‘Back To Black.’
Here’s what the director said when the movie was first announced:
“My connection to Amy began when I left college and was hanging out in the creatively diverse London borough of Camden. I got a job at the legendary KOKO club, and I can still breathe every market stall, vintage shop, and street,” she says in a statement. “A few years later Amy wrote her searingly honest songs whilst living in Camden. Like with me, it became part of her DNA. I first saw her perform at a talent show at Ronnie Scott’s Jazz Club in Soho and it was immediately obvious she wasn’t just ‘talent’… She was genius. As a filmmaker you can’t really ask for more. I feel excited and humbled to have this opportunity to realise Amy’s beautifully unique and tragic story to cinema accompanied by the most important part of her legacy – her music. I am fully aware of the responsibility, with my writing collaborator––Matt Greenhalgh––I will create a movie that we will all love and cherish forever. Just like we do Amy.”
When will ‘Back to Black’ be in theaters?
‘Back to Black’ has yet to confirm a domestic release date, but it starts rolling out in the UK and other international locations on April 12th, 2024.
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What’s the story of ‘Bob Marley: One Love’?
Kinglsey Ben-Adir as “Bob Marley” in ‘Bob Marley: One Love’ from Paramount Pictures.
Directed by Reinaldo Marcus Green, who most recently made ‘King Richard’, ‘Bob Marley: One Love’ celebrates the life and music of an icon who inspired generations through his message of love and unity.
We’ll discover Bob’s powerful story of overcoming adversity and the journey behind his revolutionary music.
Who appears in ‘Bob Marley: One Love’?
‘Bob Marley: One Love’ is scheduled to be released in theaters on January, 12th 2024.
“I’ve always loved Bob, his music was playing in my household growing up was thinking, how serendipitous. Somehow it felt like it was written for me; Bob Marley lived at 42 Oakley Street in London and 42 is my favourite number. There were all these weird signs calling me to this film. And I think what Bob sang for, his message of unity and peace and love are the things I believe in as a human being. I’m sure they’ve been trying to make a Marley move for years and it’s never happened and somehow it’s falling on my doorstep. I just thought, ‘yeah it’s a gigantic risk because Bob is so beloved and an icon, a fascinating character and he has a cult following so you don’t mess with Bob, you can’t get him wrong.’”
A trailer for ‘Bob Marley: One Love’ is now online.
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When will ‘Bob Marley: One Love’ land in theaters?
The Marley movie will be on screens on February 14th.
Kingsley Ben-Adir as Bob Marley in ‘Bob Marley: One Love.’ Photo: Paramount Pictures.
Other Movies Similar to ‘Back to Black’ and ‘Bob Marley: One Love’:
(L to R) Demi Singleton as Serena Williams, Saniyya Sidney as Venus Williams and Will Smith as Richard Williams in ‘King Richard’
Opening in theaters on November 19th is the new biopic ‘King Richard,’ which chronicles the life of Richard Williams, father of tennis legends Venus and Serena. The film stars Oscar-nominee Will Smith in the title role and follows his character’s journey to make his two youngest daughters the greatest tennis players of all-time. Directed by Reinaldo Marcus Green (‘Monsters and Men’), the movie also features Jon Bernthal (‘The Punisher’), Tony Goldwyn (‘Scandal’), Dylan McDermott (‘Olympus Has Fallen’), Aunjanue Ellis (‘The Help’), and Saniyya Sidney (‘Hidden Figures’) and Demi Singleton (‘Godfather of Harlem’) as Venus and Serena, respectively. The result is an inspiring feel-good movie with an Oscar-level performance from Smith, and excellent supporting turns from Ellis, Sidney and Singleton.
The film begins in Los Angeles in the early 1990s and shows Richard Williams (Smith) hustling to get tennis balls to practice with for his two youngest girls, Venus (Sidney) and Serena (Singleton), who he believes are preordained to be the greatest tennis players of all-time. Living in Compton and working several jobs to make ends meet, Richard and his wife Oracene (Ellis) have a strict plan to take their girls to the top of the tennis world, which up to this point has been dominated by white, upper-class players. Practicing on dangerous community park courts at night will only take the girls so far, and the Williams realize that in order to go the distance, the girls will need professional training.
After rejections from some of the best coaches in the game, who simply dismiss Venus and Serena based on their skin color and financial situation, Richard refuses to give up and eventually convinces Wimbledon champion John McEnroe’s coach, Paul Cohen (Goldwyn), to train the girls. He realizes right away how special they are but can only take one of them on as his student and chooses Venus because she is older. Cohen takes Venus on the junior circuit, where she dominates, but he bumps heads with Richard when he decides Venus will not compete again until she goes pro. Eventually, Richard convinces legendary Tennis coach Rick Massi (Bernthal) to take Venus under his wing, and the Williams family moves to Florida, so she can train full time. Meanwhile, felling left-out but still supporting her sister, Serena begins training with her mother, who “fixes” her serve.
The drama escalates as both Venus and Rick try to convince Richard that she is ready to go pro. On the verge of her first big professional win, Nike offers her a 3-million-dollar contract, which she declines, wanting the world to see how good she is before she takes the money, which does end up working to her advantage in the end. But, on the eve of Venus becoming the #1 ranked tennis player in the world, Serena is feeling left-out again, when her father finally lets her in on his ultimate plan. He tells her that while he always knew Venus would “open the door,” he believes that someday Serena will become the greatest to ever play the game, which of course, is exactly what happened.
While I loved the movie, and found it to be both touching and inspirational, I have to get one thing off my chest first. The concept that the two greatest tennis players in the history of the game would be supporting characters in their own story is problematic. While Richard is the lead character, I’m happy to say that Will Smith’s performance, as good as it is, does not over-shadow the importance of Venus and Serena’s own story. But it’s important to note that both Venus and Serena Williams are producers on the film and signed off on it, likely as a love letter to their late dad. That’s important because they clearly wanted this story told, putting the focus on their father’s sacrifices for their success, rather than their own personal triumphs.
On that level the film definitely works, but it also does not shy away from showing Richard warts and all, as the character can be insensitive and overbearing at times, and as the film demonstrates, also had several other children from other relationships that he tried to hide from Oracene and the rest of his family. Richard Williams was not a perfect person, and I appreciate that the filmmakers and Smith included that, rather than depicting him as a saint. But what is clear from the film and Smith’s performance is how much Richard loved and believed in his girls, even when no one else would, and how he fought tirelessly for their chance at success.
Will Smith has previously been nominated twice for Best Actor Academy Awards. First for 2002’s ‘Ali,’ for which I think he should have won, and secondly for 2007’s ‘The Pursuit of Happiness.’ Will Smith will receive an Oscar nomination for his performance in ‘King Richard,’ and in a fairly weak year for leading men, he likely will win, both because his performance is a career achievement, and also for the overall body of his work. And don’t think that love for the Williams sisters and their achievements won’t also play a part in his ultimately winning the award, if that does come to pass. The performance is a breakthrough for Smith, playing a well-intended but flawed character, and he does it with all the charm and charisma we expect from the “Artist formerly known as the Fresh Prince.”
I also want to mention Jon Bernthal and Tony Goldwyn, who are both great and give really fun performances as Venus and Serena’s coaches, Rick Massi and Paul Cohen, respectively. But please don’t overlook the truly fantastic supporting performances from the female members of the cast, especially Aunjanue Ellis, Saniyya Sidney and Demi Singleton. As Richard’s wife, Oracene, Ellis is brilliant and completely holds her own against Smith. In fact, the veteran actress got some of the biggest reactions in the movie from the audience at the screening I attended and will likely earn herself a Best Supporting nomination as well.
But as good as Smith and Ellis are, the film simply would not work if the actresses playing Venus and Serena were not completely believable, both as well-known characters and tennis players. Sidney and Singleton are both equally wonderful in their roles and bring their characters completely alive in a very vulnerable way, which could have been a real challenge for the young actresses seeing how famous the characters they are playing are. While I would love to have seen more of their characters’ points of view in the film, I understand that the focus was on Richard, and Sidney and Singleton’s performances compliment Smith’s.
Directed by Reinaldo Marcus Green (‘Monsters and Men’), the film is not perfect, and ended on a bit of a down note for essentially a sports film. However, since we know about the real-life success both Venus and Serena will go on to achieve in the sport, I understand why the movie concluded as it did. In the end, ‘King Richard’ isn’t about tennis, and in a way it’s not even about the Williams sisters, it’s about a man’s resilience and his commitment to his family and their dreams. With an inspiring story, and powerhouse performances by Smith and the rest of the cast, ‘King Richard’ is truly a feel-good movie that will resonate with audiences over the holiday season and may even produce some Oscar nominations during award season too.
Writer-director Reinaldo Marcus Green‘s first feature film, “Monsters and Men,” is a powerful examination of three very different characters’ reactions to the video of a deadly police shooting: The man who shot the video (Anthony Ramos), a conflicted cop (John David Washington), and a high school baseball phenom (Kelvin Harrison Jr.) who is inspired to take a stand.
Moviefone talked to Green about his inspirations, being mentored by Spike Lee, and working with rising star Washington.
Moviefone: What inspired you to make this film?
Green: In 2014, I made a short film called “Stop” for $500 with some friends and family. That short was selected to premiere at the Sundance Film Festival in 2015. In “Stop,” I cast a friend of mine, who is an aspiring actor, but also happens to be an active member of the NYPD. We grew up together on Staten Island. Fast forward, and we get to Sundance, and my friend — who is a cop — is lodging with me. We had just finished premiering our film — it was 2am — and we started talking about the Eric Garner case.
What started out as a normal conversation between two friends ended up in a pretty heated debate. We saw two totally different things while looking at the same exact video. It was one of the most powerful conversations I’ve had in my adult life. That conversation sat with me for six months. I had no intention of turning my short into a feature, but I couldn’t shake the power of that conversation — so I decided I wanted to make a film about perspective — and that’s where the triptych structure was born.
How did the cast come together?
Hats off to WME for introducing me to Avy Kaufman, who is a legendary casting director based in NYC. Avy introduced me to most of our amazing cast, including, but not limited to, Nicole Beharie, Cara Buono, and Chanté Adams.
What about John David Washington? Was this made before or after “BlacKkKlansman”?
I went to NYU Tisch Graduate Film School where Spike Lee teaches. As a former alumni, I was able to sign up for office hours. I decided to take Spike up on his 30-minute slots he offers to students in order to get his blessing. He was the first to tell me about John David Washington. Spike hadn’t filmed ‘BlacKkKlansman‘ yet, but he was obviously aware of John’s burgeoning talents.
Shortly thereafter, I had a Skype with John David, and invited him to a Sundance Institute sponsored screenplay reading in NYC. He accepted. I then invited him to spend three weeks with me — unpaid — at the Sundance Directors Lab in June of that year. We were able to spend three weeks together, and we bonded like brothers. The rest is history.
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And how did you end up casting Kelvin Harrison Jr. and Anthony Ramos?
Kelvin was in another similarly titled film called “Monster,” which hadn’t yet come out at the time. The director of the film, Anthony Mandler, was gracious enough to let me sneak into his editing room. I took one look at Kelvin, and thought to myself, this kid is a star. I cast him from that few seconds of tape.
With Anthony Ramos (star of the Broadway hit “Hamilton”), yet another Skype call. I think Anthony was the fastest I had ever cast anyone, ever. I took one look at him, the sound of his voice, the humility in his face, the pain, the joy, and I knew the role was tailor-made for him. I think I accidentally cast him without producer approval, but I was willing to suffer any repercussions because he had to do the film!
Washington is also getting strong reviews for his work in “BlacKKKlansman.” Can you talk about choosing to open the film with his scene in the car where he gets pulled over for no reason?
Spike is a master filmmaker — my teacher, my friend, and my mentor, so thank you. I wanted something that set the tone of the film right away — what is this film all about? I wanted to subvert the audience’s expectation, play with tension, and set the viewer on a ride where they were hooked from the opening frame. I thought about a film I love, “Jerry Maguire,” and that scene with Tom Cruise singing Tom Petty’s “Free Falling.” And the first thing that came to mind was, imagine if Tom Cruise was black, and I had a chuckle to myself. That laugh turned into our opening scene.
Each of the characters have something to lose by coming forward or standing up for what they think is right. Can you talk about what the decision to act (or not act) means for each of them?
Each protagonist in the film is faced with the exact same dilemma — to speak up or remain silent.
I think, for each of our protagonists, they struggle with what’s the right thing to do. They’re all given an option to choose — to be monsters or men — and that choice can and often does effect their entire life.
For Manny (Ramos), he must decide to stay silent and protect his family, or speak up and face whatever repercussions may arise from doing what he considers to be the right thing.
For Dennis (Washington), he must decide to protect his family, his job, his promotion, and face whatever repercussions may arise from doing what he considers to be the right thing.
For Zyrick (Harrison), he must decide to speak up or remain silent — protect his family, his future, keep his head down, get his scholarship, or he can join the fight for justice and face whatever repercussions may arise being on the front lines.
Why did you decide to not show the actual shooting or the video of it in the final film?
We made the decision to leave it out pretty early on. I remember listening to the dispatch radio recording of the Trayvon Martin shooting, and how powerful it was hearing it. I didn’t need to see it. My imagination was enough. It broke my heart. I also thought that we see these videos all the time by just turning on the news. I wanted to show the lives of people who are affected by the videos. The people we forget about.
What was the hardest or most emotional day on set?
To be honest, the last day is always the hardest for me, when you have to say goodbye to the people you just had a baby with. It’s strange. In some cases, you’ll never see these folks again. It’s bittersweet. The hope is you’ll get to work together over and over again, but as with life, it often moves on. So that’s always hard. Saying goodbye is never easy.
What do you hope audiences take away from the movie?
I hope a few things. I hope they enjoy it, as a movie, with no pretenses. I hope that it can inspire or empower folks to speak up for what they believe in. I hope audiences can feel like they want to do something, even if they don’t know exactly what it is.
The hope is we planted a tiny seed. Ultimately the hope is that we can engage in meaningful dialogue, that can hopefully lead to meaningful change.
