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Friday, August 14, 2009

Jonathan Demme Becomes Second Director To Leave Bob Marley Documentary

A planned biopic of Bob Marley's life has been thrown into doubt again - director Jonathan Demme has reportedly followed in Martin Scorsese's footsteps and quit the project. The Raging Bull legend was originally signed up to helm the story of the late reggae icon's life, with Marley's family heaping praise on the moviemaker for taking charge of the production. In a statement, Marley's son Ziggy said, "I am thrilled that the Marley family will finally have the opportunity to document our father's legacy and are truly honoured to have Mr. Scorsese guide the journey." But due to prior commitments, Scorsese was forced to drop out of the film in May, leaving Philadelphia director Demme to lead the project. However, Demme has reportedly quit the movie following a disagreement with producer Steve Bing, who was left unimpressed with the footage filmed so far, according to New York gossip column Page Six. The movie was slated for a February release - to mark what would have been the "No Woman, No Cry" hitmaker's 65th birthday - but production is expected to halt until a new director is hired.