It's been more than five years since Amy Winehouse's biopic was first announced, and now the first teaser for the Sam Taylor-Johnson-directed film has arrived.
Called Back to Black, named after the famed singer's breakthrough 2006 album, the film has the blessing of the Winehouse estate, and will be released in April.
The biopic, which tells the story of the Grammy award-winning musical sensation, who tragically died in 2011 from alcohol poising, aged 27, is being written by Matt Greenhalgh, directed by Taylor-Johnson and produced by Alison Owen, Debra Hayward and Tracey Seaward on behalf of Studiocanal. And taking on the titular role? None other than Industry breakout star, Marisa Abela.
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Here's everything you need to know about Amy Winehouse upcoming biopic Back to Black:
What is the Amy Winehouse Back to Black film about?
Back to Black will look at the life of North London-born singer Winehouse, who started off by making a name for herself in the world of jazz, before rising to Grammy award-winning status, with hit songs such as 'Rehab' and, of course, 'Back to Black'.
That's before she tragically died in her late twenties, after an arduous battle with drugs and alcohol.
Is the Amy Winehouse Back to Black the first feature film to be produced?
Yes. While Hollywood has tried to tell her story with myriad projects having been partially dreamt up, including one from Lotus Entertainment with Noomi Rapace, none have moved forward.
The 2015 critically acclaimed A24 documentary Amy, however, won an Oscar.
Who will play Amy Winehouse in the Back to Black film?
As per Deadline, numerous actors auditioned for the coveted part of playing Winehouse, but it was Abela who 'blew away execs and Taylor-Johnson' from the get-go. Abela is best known for her breakout role in BBC hit Industry, and her cameo in Greta Gerwig's 2023 film, Barbie.
The first images from Back To Black, which began filming in London in January 2023 showed Abela looking like the spitting image of Amy Winehouse. The actor is seen with Winehouse's signature 'beehive' hairstyle, gold hoop earrings and tattoos in a recreation of one of the late singer's most recognisable photos.
Abela also posted her own tribute to Amy Winehouse via Instagram, including photos of her standing beside a gigantic mural of the late singer and a close-up of her in costume wearing Winehouse's signature chunky gold jewellery (and lip piercing). The actor captioned the post: '“And for London. This is for London. Cause Camden Town ain’t burnin down”. I love you, Amy. ❤️'
Who will star in the Amy Winehouse in the Back to Black film?
Starring alongside Abela in the film are Lesley Manville, who stars as Amy’s grandmother, Cynthia (whose name was inked on her right arm), and Jack O’Connell, who plays Blake Fielder-Civil, Amy's husband from 2007-2009.
What other films has Sam Taylor-Johnson worked on?
British filmmaker Taylor-Johnson is known for helping build the Fifty Shades franchise, which includes Fifty Shades of Grey, Fifty Shades Darker and Fifty Shades Freed, starring Dakota Johnson and Jamie Dornan.
She directed the first film, which after 10 days dominated the UK box office, having grossed £25.24m and overtaking the likes of The Wolf of Wall Street (£22.70m) for the biggest 18 certificate film at the time.
In recent years, she worked on drama thriller series Gypsy and solely directed psychological drama A Million Little Pieces. She was also behind two episodes of last year's sci-fi fantasy drama Solos, of which starred Morgan Freeman, Anne Hathaway and Helen Mirren.
What is Amy Winehouse best known for?
The singer catapulted to superstardom status after her multi Grammy Award-winning album Back to Black.
Her distinctive jazz voice mesmerised many, and she was known for singing about her intense love life.
As much as she was known for her indigenous talent, her turbulent life, which heavily involved drugs and alcohol, was all over the media.
Her tragic death left her fans heartbroken.
Clementina Jackson is Acting Site Fashion Editor at ELLE UK, working across news and features, trends, e-commerce and SEO. She was previously Fashion Editor at Cosmopolitan and Women’s Health, and Acting Digital Fashion Editor at ELLE UK, where she was named as a PPA 30 Under 30 award winner for her work on size inclusivity. An experienced fashion, travel and luxury lifestyle journalist, Clementina has also written for Harper’s Bazaar, Vanity Fair, Condé Nast Traveller, Tatler, Red and Italy Segreta.
Naomi May is a seasoned culture journalist and editor with over ten years’ worth of experience in shaping stories and building digital communities. After graduating with a First Class Honours from City University's prestigious Journalism course, Naomi joined the Evening Standard, where she worked across both the newspaper and website. She is now the Digital Editor at ELLE Magazine and has written features for the likes of The Guardian, Vogue, Vice and Refinery29, among many others. Naomi is also the host of the ELLE Collective book club.
