( l - r ) Marley, Demme

Director Jonathan Demme has parted ways with Marley, the documentary on the life of reggae superstar Bob Marley. He is the second high-profile name to cut ties with the project in one year.

The New York Post reported last week that Demme left because of differences with producer Steve Bing who was not impressed with the first phase of editing for Marley.

In May 2008, Martin Scorsese announced his departure as director of the high-profile film due to "scheduling conflicts".

Despite the departure of directors, Marley is still scheduled for release on February 6, 2010 which would have been Marley's 65th birthday. The singer died from cancer in May 1981.

Hollywood bigwigs

Marley was strongly supported by members of the Marley family including his eldest son Ziggy, who told the British Broadcasting Corporation that he was excited to work with either Scorsese or Demme, both of whom are Hollywood bigwigs.

Scorsese is best known for the films Raging Bull, Taxi Driver and Gangs of New York. He has also produced and directed music documentaries such as the acclaimed PBS series, Blues.

Demme has directed a video anthology by Bruce Springsteen and a documentary on Canadian Neil Young, another rock superstar.

The Silence of The Lambs, the psyco-thriller starring Jodie Foster and Anthony Hopkins, is probably Demme's best-known work.

Since Marley's death, several biographies and documentaries have been done about him and for years, there has been talk of a Hollywood movie based on his life. A well-publicised hunt for an actor to play Marley took place at the Countryside Club in Kingston in the late 1990s, but nothing came of that casting call.

The Marley brand is one of the most lucrative in pop culture, raking in over US$1 billion annually according to Canadian marketing company Hilco.

This year, the singer's family gave the go-ahead for Hilco to promote a new line of products bearing Marley's image.