About a month ago we told you about the upcoming Bob Marley biopic from the Weinstein camp. Well it seems that highly anticipated project has hit a roadblock. The family has refused to license any of Marley’s music for the film, an interesting development considering his very widow, Rita Marley, is the executive producer.

The problem seems to be rooted in conflict of interest. Although the reggae legend died more than 20 years ago, there are TWO competing films being produced. According to the Hollywood Reporter, Martin Scorsese has ALSO been working on a documentary with the Marley family-owned Tuff Gong Pictures which will be produced by Steven Bing’s Shangri La production company.

With such a large family and so many kids there’s bound to be a little friction, dissension and miscommunication and may be the case here. The Marley’s in charge of the music licensing and sympathetic to the Scorsese flick say that Weinstein’s 2009 release date would cannibalize the Scorsese 2010 opening.

“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 Chris Blackwell said. “The Weinstein project has put the documentary into jeopardy.” Blue Mountain Music is Marley’s music publisher.

“All our efforts and support are currently directed toward the documentary,” said the reggae legend’s son, Ziggy Marley, who is executive producer of the untitled Scorsese film. “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.”

“When I sold the film rights to my book (for the Weinstein film),” Rita Marley told The Reporter, “the contract did not include any rights to use my husband’s music.”

Is this an issue of internal conflict within the Marley family or a ploy to get the Weinstein’s to cough up some bread to issue the film. The Marley family’s lawyer, Terri Dipalo, denied my allegations however she did suggest that “anything’s possible” when asked if Marley’s songs might end up in the Weinstein feature.