The 1972 cult classic film The Harder They Come, which starred a young Jimmy Cliff, is often credited with taking reggae music from the streets of Jamaica and introducing it to a global audience. Directed by the late Perry Henzell, The Harder They Come is considered one of the most influential films to ever come out of Jamaica. 
A sequel 50 years in the making is once again making the rounds of discussion as Jimmy Cliff has signed with ICM Partners to market The Harder They Come Sequel.The beloved movie soundtrack features hits from a handful of legendary musicians, including Cliff, Toots & The Maytals, and Desmond Dekker.
[Related: Interview – Jimmy Cliff]
In a 2017 Interview with Jimmy Cliff, the legend tells The Pier regarding a Harder They Come sequel: “Yes! That is still on the table, very much on the front burner,” says Cliff. He continued, adding, “What I’ve learned, when you’re making a movie there are three things. 1 is the script, 2 is the script, and 3 is the script. It’s all about the script! Once you have the script everything else falls into place. So we’re all working on that, just waiting to see when we’re all happy. Everyone saying ‘Yes! This is it.’ Then we’ll go ahead. We thought we would have had something last winter, but everyone didn’t say ‘Yeah!’ to the script. But it’s very much on the front burner.”
As recently reported by our friends at Dancehallmag.com, ICM, which is a company that represents talent in the fields of motion picture, television, books, music, live performance, branded entertainment, and new media, will also market a documentary and memoir, and his global touring, and will handle Cliff’s business via teams led by Ron Kaplan for North and South America and Ed Sellers & Ashley Marchi for international, according to a release.
An exhibition marking the 50th anniversary of The Harder They Come is now open in Florida. The opening happened June 4th and invites fans of the iconic film to visit the former home of Perry Henzell where they can see memorabilia reflecting the films impact.
Henzell, who co-wrote the screenplay and directed the film that helped introduce Jamaican pop culture to a global audience, died in 2006, but his daughter Justine Henzell has overseen the legacy of his famous film. The film premiered at the Carib cinema in June, 1972. A tribute to Jimmy Cliff, the movie’s star will also be a part of the exhibitions festivities.
In the meantime, Jimmy Cliff is still putting out music as heard by his latest single, “Human Touch.” The official video for that is below but enjoy an acoustic version the legend just released. Additional links below.
Watch: Jimmy Cliff – “Human Touch” (Live Acoustic)
Related Links:
@JimmyCliff
Jimmy Cliff Website
Article By: Mike Patti
Watch: Wailing Souls – “Human Touch”