@Photo by Courtesy of Dean Rogers/Focus Features – © 2023 STUDIOCANAL SAS
STUDIOCANAL International has dropped a new trailer for “Back To Black,” a new biopic about the late Amy Winehouse, has debuted its first footage. The film is starring “Industry” actor Marisa Abela as Winehouse and directed by Sam Taylor-Johnson (“Nowhere Boy,” “Fifty Shades of Grey”).
“Back to Black” is executive produced by Nicky Kentish-Barnes, Ron Halpern and Joe Naftalin for Studiocanal and Alison Owen and Debra Hayward for Monumental Pictures from a screenplay written by Matt Greenhalgh (“Film Stars Don’t Die in Liverpool”).
“Industry” star Marisa Abela will both act and sing as Winehouse within the film which follows her rise to fame in London in the early 2000s, The film is said to paint a “vivid, vibrant picture of the Camden streets she called home” and capture “the struggles of global fame” when Any and Taylor-Johnson first met and became friends along Camden’s High Street scene.
The film also stars Jack O’Connell stars alongside Abela as Winehouse’s husband, Blake Fielder-Civil. Eddie Marsan stars as Winehouse’s father, Mitch Winehouse, with Juliet Cowan as Winehouse’s mother, Janis Winehouse-Collins. Lesley Manville plays Winehouse’s grandmother, Cynthia Winehouse.
Amy quickly became one of the most popular recording artists in recent history, selling over 30 million records worldwide and generating over 80 million streams per month.
After her death, numerous documentaries about her life and legacy have emerged, including the Oscar winner in 2015 for best documentary feature, “Amy,” as well as the 2021 BBC TV film “Reclaiming Amy.” The biopic was first announced to be in development in 2018.
There were already some backlashes when images of Abela on set in London emerged last year, apparently in character as Winehouse in distress – beehive dishevelled and makeup smudged.
It’s understandable that fans want to protect the singer and her legacy. During her life, Winehouse’s image, drug and alcohol consumption were routinely exposed by the press
Back to Black will be released in cinemas across Australia on 18 April 2024.