The untitled film will be released worldwide on February 6 2010, marking the 65th anniversary of the reggae icon's birth. Fortissimo is handling international sales. Shangri-La is in talks on a North American deal.
Scorsese was preparing to direct the authorised biography after he finished work on Shine A Light but had to pull out due to scheduling conflicts.
Demme previously collaborated with Shangri-La on the Neil Young documentary Heart Of Gold and will meet the Marley family to discuss the project.
'I am truly joyful about being included in this project and by the chance to team up with Ziggy Marley and my good friends at Shangri-La Entertainment,' Demme said.
'My family and I are very excited to have Jonathan on board,' Marley said. 'His empathy with my father's body of work and his unique understanding of the musical documentary form makes me confident that this film will be the ultimate celebration of my fathers' life.'
Demme recently completed post-production on Sony Pictures Classics' upcoming release Rachel Getting Married, based on Jenny Lumet's original screenplay. He is currently editing the concert film Neil Young Trunk Show.
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