Back to Black
After five years of development, the biopic of Amy Winehouse started filming in January 2023 and is scheduled for release in April 2024. Here is all you need to know about it. The film will delve into the late musician’s life, her artistic journey, and notably, her struggles with addiction that ultimately led to her death in 2011. The production was approved by her family and supported by the Amy Winehouse estate, Universal Music Group, and Sony Music Publishing.
Courtesy of The Design Museum
Over five years, the project underwent meticulous planning, with its initial announcement made in 2018. Sam Taylor-Johnson is directing the film, with the screenplay expertly crafted by Matt Greenhalgh, and Marisa Abela taking on the lead role. Despite multiple projects being announced following Amy Winehouse’s passing, this is the first to progress to production. Both Taylor-Johnson and Greenhalgh, distinguished in their respective fields, bring a crucial dimension to the project: their extensive experience in creating biopics centered around iconic figures such as Ian Curtis and the Beatles. In fact, the duo collaborated on the 2009 biographical drama film, "Nowhere Boy," which followed the teenage years of John Lennon and the rise of the Beatles. The creators established three key objectives for the audition of the main role: firstly, the actor portraying Winehouse should be a newcomer; secondly, they must have Jewish heritage; and thirdly, they should possess singing abilities. Following an extensive audition process, Marisa Abela, a graduate of RADA and a relatively new actress who has been making strides in her career since 2020, was chosen for the role. Notably, Abela has Polish Jewish and Russian Jewish heritage from her mother’s side, aligning with the specified criteria and, according to her graduate profile, she has an alto vocal range, just like Winehouse. Abela has gained recognition for her roles in the series "Industry" (2020–2022) and "COBRA" (2020).
Marisa Abela as Amy Winehouse on the set. Photo by MEGA/GC Images.
Sharing the screen with Abela, the cast includes Jack O’Connell portraying Amy Winehouse’s toxic ex-husband, Blake Fielder-Civil. Eddie Marsan and Juliet Cowan took on the roles of Winehouse’s parents, Mitch Winehouse and Janis Winehouse-Collins, respectively. Additionally, Lesley Manville was cast as Cynthia Winehouse, Amy’s grandmother. The filming was done in various locations across London that played significant roles in Winehouse’s life and career. Iconic venues such as Ronnie Scott’s Jazz Club, where she had her first live performance, and her former residence in Camden Town, were selected for filming. The biopic is set to chronicle Amy Winehouse’s life and career, starting from her early days as a jazz musician in the early 2000s and progressing through her rise to fame, ultimately ending with her tragic death. Delving into her personal life, the biopic will also focus on her relationships with family and ex-husband, as well as mental health and addiction. Director Sam Taylor-Johnson describes this film as her passion project, an intimate homage to her dear friend Amy, setting this biopic as a personal story as well. In a statement, Taylor-Johnson expressed her excitement and humility about the film: “I feel excited and humbled to have this opportunity to realize Amy’s beautifully unique and tragic story in cinema, accompanied by the most important part of her legacy — her music. I am fully aware of the responsibility, and with my writing collaborator — Matt Greenhalgh — I will create a movie that we will all love and cherish forever. Just like we do Amy.” Offering an unprecedented look into Amy Winehouse’s journey to stardom and the launch of her groundbreaking studio album, “Back to Black,” the film is scheduled for theatrical release by StudioCanal in the United Kingdom on April 12, 2024. In the United States, Focus Features is set to release the film on May 10, 2024.
