‘Back to Black’: Amy Winehouse Biopic Casts Marisa Abela

Marisa Abela stars as Amy Winehouse in director Sam Taylor-Johnson's 'Back To Black.'

Amy Winehouse is widely considered one of the greatest artists in recent history, selling more than 30 million records worldwide, and today generating more than 80 million streams per month. Her acclaimed 2006 album “Back to Black”, propelled her to global stardom, going on to win a (at the time) record breaking 5 Grammy Awards, including Record Of The Year and Song of The Year for hit single “Rehab”. She got her start on the North London jazz circuit and rose to become a musical superstar.

She’s also famous for tragically dying far too young from alcohol poisoning at the age of 27 in 2011. So her life is naturally something that filmmakers have been looking to bring to the screens for years, and Asif Kapadia’s 2015 documentary ‘Amy’ did a fine job of chronicling her work and world.

But talk of a biopic surfaced the same year and back then, Noomi Rapace was attached to play Winehouse for ‘August Rush’ director Kirsten Sheridan, but that project never came to fruition.

Marisa Abela on HBO's 'Industry.' Photo: Simon Ridgway/HBO.

Then came ‘Fifty Shades of Grey’ and ‘Nowhere Boy’ director Sam Taylor-Johnson, who is reuniting with the latter film’s writer Matt Greenhalgh for ‘Back to Black’. Backers Studio Canal, Focus Features and Monumental Pictures have announced a movie that “will focus on Amy’s extraordinary genius, creativity and honesty that infused everything she did. A journey that took her from the craziness and color of ‘90s Camden High Street to global adoration––and back again.” The film will reportedly “crash through the looking glass of celebrity to watch this journey from behind the mirror, to see what Amy saw, to feel what she felt.”

And now we know who will be playing Winehouse herself, as ‘Industry’ actor Marisa Abela has landed the lead role, a certainly looks the part in the first publicity shot from the film, which will kick off production next week in London. Abela, who has also been seen in movies such as ‘She is Love’ and ‘Rogue Agent’, has a role in Greta Gerwig’s ‘Barbie’, in theaters on July 21st.

Taylor-Johnson is excited to dig into the story and do Winehouse justice. “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,” she says in a statement.

“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. I feel excited and humbled to have this opportunity to realise Amy’s beautifully unique and tragic story to cinema accompanied by the most important part of her legacy – her music. I am fully aware of the responsibility, with my writing collaborator––Matt Greenhalgh––I will create a movie that we will all love and cherish forever. Just like we do Amy.”

Amy Winehouse from 'Amy' documentary.