The forthcoming Bob Marley biopic being produced by the Weinstein Company has hit a major snag and its name is Marty Scorsese.
Despite being executive produced by Rita Marley (the film is based on her book, “No Woman No Cry: My Life With Bob Marley”) , Scorsese’s also upcoming Marley documentary, being produced by the Marley family-owned Tuff Gong Pictures and Steven Bing’s Shangri La banner, is the first theatrical doc to license Marley songs (and evidently they have first dibs).
Apparently since both films are scheduled for a close release date (late 2009 for Harvey, early 2010 for Marty), the Scorsese camp feels the films are in direct competition according to the Hollywood Reporter.
“Martin Scorsese doesn’t want to go out with a competing project, and Steven Bing has made deals with companies” that are now compromised, Blue Mountain Music president and alleged vampire, and total movie cock-blocker Chris Blackwell told the Hollywood trade paper. “The Weinstein project has put the documentary into jeopardy.”
Blue Mountain Music is Marley’s music publisher and it’s not looking good for the Weinstein project at all since Blackwell would like the biopic delayed until at least 2015! (no, seriously)
“All our efforts and support are currently directed toward the documentary,” the untitled project’s executive producer Ziggy Marley said. “We believe that this project is the best way to represent our father’s life from his perspective, and any other film project pertaining to our father will be empty without his music to support it.”
A perspective from Rita Marley suggest people were clued out when they first made this deal. “When I sold the film rights to my book,” Rita Marley told The Reporter, “the contract did not include any rights to use my husband’s music.” Roh roh.
According to HR, the Marley family’s lawyer Terri Dipalo denied the latest move is a negotiating tactic to compel the Weinsteins to buy Marley music rights or to up the price for those rights. Blackwell expects a deal to be reached soon whereby the Weinstein Co. would take a stake in the Scorsese docu and agree to postpone its biopic.
Maybe Chris Blackwell IS a vampire!