Bob Marley Documentary to Be Directed by 'Last King of Scotland' Filmmaker

Known for his work on 2004's 'Touching the Void' and 2006's 'The Last King of Scotland,' Oscar-winning director Kevin McDonald will be taking the reigns of 'Marley,' a documentary about Bob Marley.

Unlike past documentaries about the late legendary reggae artist and activist's life, this one will include the input of the Marley family, with Ziggy Marley serving as one of the project's executive producers. "We went to Kevin initially as an acclaimed documentarian but what has been most important to the family is his obvious passion for and interest in my father's life as a musician and person," Marley told the Hollywood Reporter.

'Marley' will focus on the music and worldwide impact of Marley's songs and will be shot in various locations including Jamaica, Ghana, Japan, UK and US. While this all sounds promising, the project has experienced several problems in the past. Martin Scorsese was originally supposed to direct but had to drop out in May 2009 due to scheduling conflicts. 'Marley' was then taken over by Jonathan Demme, who directed documentaries about Neil Young, Bruce Springsteen and the Pretenders. Unfortunately, he also left the film in August 2009 because 'Marley' producers Bill Clinton and Steve Bing were unimpressed by Demme's initial edit, the New York Post reported.

With all these delays, the film missed its original release date of Feb. 6, 2010, which would have been the Marley's 65th birthday. With McDonald now onboard, the movie is slated to release later this year to commemorate the 30th anniversary of Marley's death.

Aside from the film, People reports that Ziggy Marley has more to celebrate, as he and his wife, Orly Agai, welcomed their third child, Abraham Selassie Robert Nesta, on Jan. 26 in Los Angeles. The couple also has a 5-and-a-half-year-old daughter named Judah Victoria and a 4-year-old son, Gideon Robert Nesta.

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