The rock stars of Hollywood

In theaters Friday: Gone, Wanderlust

New on Blu-ray/DVD: London Boulevard, Martha Marcy May Marlene, J. Edgar, Tower Heist

So, Bob Marley is getting the documentary treatment. And while the reggae icon is obviously worthy of a feature-length look at his fascinating life and brilliant career, I can’t help but dread another music documentary filled with talking heads that, no pun intended, rehash the same old stories that his fans have already read about many times over.

Someone once said, “Talking about music is like dancing about math.” That may be hyperbole, but I maintain that the best way to embody the life of a music icon on screen is not with an in-depth documentary, but with a lovingly-crafted biopic, one that, even if it doesn’t nail every single detail with laser-like accuracy, at least captures the spirit and character of the artists and their times and finds a unique way to celebrate the music.

I’d love to see New Orleans native Anthony Mackie given the chance to play Marley is a narrative film. The Hurt Locker and 8 Mile star has the right blend of poetic gravitas, conviction and devil-may-care charisma to play Jamaica’s favorite son.

Mackie would be so perfect, I started thinking of other music legends that need their own movies and who might best play them. Amy Adams is slated to play Janis Joplin next year, but what about others?

I flipped through my music library and started jotting down names. Here is my wishlist, what’s yours?

Jesse Eisenberg as Nick Drake. Eisenberg has already played an awkward, disconnected genius very well in The Social Network. With longer locks and an English accent, he’d be a dead ringer for Drake and playing the reclusive, troubled folk singer would be a breeze.

Viola Davis as Aretha Franklin. The two-time Oscar nominee (for her roles in The Help and Doubt) plays strong but wounded characters like no one else, and she has extensive experience in films set during Franklin’s formative years—1950s and 1960s.

Michael Fassbender as Woody Guthrie. Sure Fassbender is on everyone’s wishlist this year, but that is because the up-and-coming actor wields an enormous amount of conviction and fearlessness with every performance, and those are two attributes that anyone portraying the father of protest music and defender of the working, dust bowl people against fascism would have to maintain in spades. The German of Irish descent would also have to be skin-and-bones to play Guthrie, and the lean Fassbender showed in Hunger that he wasn’t afraid of shedding even more weight when the role requires it.

Zooey Deschanel as Debbie Harry. The Blondie singer may have suggeseted Kirsten Dunst a few years ago to star in a biopic that has been long in the works, but my vote goes to the (500) Days of Summer star. Exhibit A) Here she is as a blonde. Exhibit B) She can actually sing. Check out her stunning performance of “I Put A Spell on You” on Conan. And compare that to Dunst, who, well, have you seen Spider-Man 3? Yeah, case closed.