Actor Kingsley Ben-Adir knows what its like to play an iconic black leader.

Bob Marley performs on stage in the Netherlands IMAGE SOURCE, GETTY IMAGES Image caption, Bob Marley performs at Houtrust Hallen in The Hague, Netherlands, in 1977 - a scene recreated in One Love The man who finally made it happen is Reinaldo Marcus Green. He was approached by Paramount Studios while editing King Richard - the Oscar-winning drama about the father of tennis legends Venus and Serena Williams - and instantly felt a connection to the material. What hooked him was the story. Instead of a traditional cradle-to-grave biopic, this film would be devoted to a single, two-year timespan. It opens in 1976, when Marley was already a star and Jamaica was in political turmoil. A wave of political shootings and firebombings rocked Kingston, as rivalries between the two major political parties spilled onto the streets. Although Marley tried to remain neutral, he angered both sides when he organised a concert for peace. Two days before the show, seven armed gunmen stormed into the star's "safe house" at 56 Hope Road as he rehearsed with his band. Rita Marley was shot in the head. A bullet aimed at Bob's chest missed and lodged in his arm. Miraculously, both survived. But soon afterwards, the singer exiled himself in London, where he poured his feelings of betrayal, anger and ultimately hope into a new album, Exodus.