BILLY Mystic, frontman of Mystic Revealers band, believes Paramount Pictures’ upcoming Bob Marley biopic could be music to Jamaica’s and reggae’s ears.

According to the singer-songwriter, with the American film and distribution company’s global reach, the positive spin-offs for country and genre are immeasurable.

“It ah guh benefit if reggae is the topic of something. And with Paramount and their platform, dem ah promote it because it is in their interest; it’s their product and them want it fi be a huge success. They know how big Bob Marley is. It would be embarrassing if they put out this project and when dem put it out, it nuh measure up to Bob Marley status,” Billy Mystic told the Jamaica Observer.

“I believe they [Paramount] are going to ensure it’s well-done, well-promoted, well-distributed… That is what mi would expect from a big major company and a big major artiste like Bob Marley… I feel they are going to get behind it and do the best they can… What this best may turn out to be is left for us to see but I would expect it will be in the upper echelons of Hollywood,” he continued.

Recently, Paramount Pictures announced that 35-year-old British actor Kingsley Ben-Adir will play Marley in the yet-titled biopic.

The flick will be directed by Reinaldo Marcus Green, known for the Oscar-nominated movie King Richard. Rita Marley, widow of the reggae legend, as well as his children Cedella and Ziggy Marley have been named as producers. Frank E Flowers is credited as scriptwriter.

Like Marley, Ben-Adir has biracial parents. His mother is a black Trinidadian while his father is a white Englishman.

The actor came to prominence for his role as Malcolm X in the Regina King-directed movie One Night in Miami. He had a breakout role in Netflix’s The OA and also starred in the British crime drama, Peaky Blinders. Ben-Adir also played president Barack Obama on Showtime’s The Comey Rule.

Billy Mystic (given name Billy Wilmot) is no stranger to acting. He played CC in local soap opera Royal Palm Estate for 15 years. Other acting credits came in Club Paradise starring American actor Robin Williams, and Shattered Image with William Baldwin. In the 1990s he was tipped to play Marley in an Island Records project which was subsequently shelved.

Billy Mystic feels no emphasis will be placed on getting Marley’s Jamaican accent spot on.

“To Jamaicans, it is very important. Majority of the people of the world don’t know the difference between a Trinidadian accent and Jamaican and a Bajan or a St Kitts & Nevis. But being a Jamaican or being involved in the music intimately, it would be very disappointing if him [Ben-Adir] don’t get di accent correct,” he said.

“But for di wider global audience who they are trying to attract to di picture — it is not only existing fans when yuh ah put out a movie, yuh want all kind of people who hear di name Bob Marley and find it vaguely familiar — you would ah want dem fi spend dem money to come watch the movie so it is less important to that wider global audience. But to the Jamaican, Diaspora and everything, if it came off and never sound right, they’ll be disappointed… It is all about di director’s perspective,” he continued.

Marley died of cancer on May 11 1981. He was 36.

Mystic Revealers formed in the late 1970s in Bull Bay. The band’s founding members are still its core: Wilmot, drummer Nicholas “Drummie” Henry, bass guitarist Leroy “Lion” Edwards, and guitarist/vocalist Steve Davis.

Their popular songs include Religion, Got To Be A Better Way, and Remember Romeo.