Marisa Abela to Star in Amy Winehouse Biopic ‘Back to Black’, Out Next Year

The Amy Winehouse biopic, Back to Black, starring Marisa Abela, now has a release date. It will open in U.K. theatres on Friday 12th April 2024 and Australian theatres on Thursday 18th April.

Filming for Back to Black began in London this year, with Abela as Winehouse and Jack O’Connell as Blake Fielder-Civil. Sam Taylor-Johnson directed the film based on a script from Martin Greenhalgh. It’s their second collaboration after the John Lennon biopic Nowhere Boy.

Marisa Abela as Amy Winehouse

The film has unveiled a new image, showcasing Marisa Abela sporting Winehouse’s iconic beehive hairstyle. Back to Black has been developing since 2018, with Taylor-Johnson taking the director’s role last year. Produced by STUDIOCANAL and Monumental Picture, the biopic delves into Winehouse’s personal and professional life, tracing her journey from her upbringing in north London to her meteoric rise to stardom.

In 2012, Mitch Winehouse, Amy’s father, expressed his openness to a biopic, emphasising the need for sensitivity in its portrayal. He stressed the importance of avoiding sensationalism while acknowledging Amy’s struggles with addiction, asserting that there was no need to gloss over her history of alcohol and drug dependency. 

The late singer was the subject of the Academy Award-winning documentary Amy in 2015, which her family criticised for being misleading and unbalanced. Even as recently as September 2021, the Winehouse family expressed their disapproval of another unauthorised biopic about Amy’s life, reportedly titled Saving Amy, which Halcyon Studios was developing.

Further Reading

Love Letter To A Record: Stellie On Winehouse’s ‘Frank’

Amy Winehouse’s Estate ‘Slams’ New Biopic

Amy Winehouse Hologram To Tour The World For Up To Three Years