An Amy Winehouse biopic is officially underway! Focus Features and Monumental made the announcement on Jan. 13, detailing that filming is set to begin next week in London. A biopic has been on the cards for years with multiple projects failing to take off, but now the film about the music star’s life has finally been given the greenlight. “Back to Black,” titled after the late star’s hit 2006 album of the same name, will follow Winehouse’s rise to fame, from being the poster girl for London’s Camden to global stardom, and will “focus on Amy’s extraordinary genius, creativity, and honesty that infused everything she did.”
Throughout Winehouse’s career, she sold more than 30 million records worldwide, and her iconic music still generates over 80 million streams a month, but her success ended in tragedy. She struggled with drug addiction and died of alcohol poisoning in July 2011 at just 27-years-old. The film depicting her life will be directed by her friend, Sam Taylor-Johnson (“Fifty Shades of Grey”), and written by Matt Greenhalgh, who previously worked with Taylor-Johnson on the 2009 film “Nowhere Boy”.
While the movie will include many of Winehouse’s songs, there had been questions over who would be cast to play the titular role. Rumours were swirling last summer that British actress Marisa Abela was a frontrunner, and now Studiocanal has confirmed the casting with a first-look photo of the actress looking the part wearing Winehouse’s recognisable beehive hair and Monroe piercing. Abela, who starred in BBC Two’s “Industry,” is a name soon to be on everyone’s lips as she also has a role in Greta Gerwig’s “Barbie” movie, opposite Margot Robbie and Ryan Gosling, which is due to be released on 21 July.
Taylor-Johnson, who is married to “Bullet Train”‘s Aaron Taylor-Johnson, says in the press release, “My connection to Amy began when I left college and was hanging out in the creatively diverse London borough of Camden. I got a job at the legendary KOKO CLUB, and I can still breathe every market stall, vintage shop and street… A few years later Amy wrote her searingly honest songs whilst living in Camden. Like with me, it became part of her DNA. I first saw her perform at a talent show at Ronnie Scott’s Jazz Club in Soho and it was immediately obvious she wasn’t just ‘talent’… she was genius. As a filmmaker you can’t really ask for more.”
Although many studios have tried to shed light on Winehouse’s life after her death, the only film that ever gained any real traction was “Amy,” which won an Oscar for best documentary. Taylor-Johnson’s biopic will be the first feature film to tackle the singer-songwriter’s journey, depict her struggles, and show the spirit that made the world fall in love with her in the first place. There’s been an influx of successful biopics of late, most recently the Whitney Houston film, “I Wanna Dance With Somebody,” so here’s hoping “Back to Black” will follow its sensitive portrayal of a global icon. The Amy Winehouse Estate adds, “We are thrilled that STUDIOCANAL, Focus Features and Monumental are making this movie celebrating our daughter Amy’s extraordinary music legacy and showcasing her talent in the way that it deserves.”
As the news was announced, Taylor-Johnson took to Instagram, writing “Marisa Abela…watch out everyone! Cameras roll on Monday. Here we go!” Read ahead for everything we know so far about “Back to Black”.
“Back to Black” First-Look Photo
“Back to Black” Cast
While Abela has been confirmed as playing Winehouse, the remaining cast are yet to be revealed, but with filming due to start in January, we’re sure to get some updates very soon.
“Back to Black” Release Date
It’s early days with filming starting on Jan. 16, but we are predicting a 2024 release.