Amy Winehouse biopic: Industry star Marisa Abela to play singer in Back to Black

Film will show ‘what Amy saw’ and make viewers ‘feel what she felt’

Amy Winehouse will receive the biopic treatment in a new film about the singer.

On Friday (13 January), it was announced that the project, titled Back to Black, will be directed by Fifty Shades of Grey filmmaker Sam Taylor-Johnson.

Starring as Winehouse will be Marisa Abela, who plays Yasmin Kara-Hanani in the TV series Industry, which is available to stream on BBC iPlayer.

It is believed that Abela fought out many rising stars to win the role.

The film will focus on the singer’s “extraordinary genius, creativity and honesty that infused everything she did”.

It has been described as transporting viewers “through the looking glass of celebrity to watch this journey from behind the mirror, to see what Amy saw, to feel what she felt”.

The film was written by Matt Greenhalgh, who previously scripted Taylor-Johnson’s John Lennon film Nowhere Boy (2009).

Shooting will begin on Monday (16 January), but an image showing Abela in character as the singer has been released by Studiocanal, Focus Features and Monumental Pictures, who are collaborating on the film.

Winehouse, who died in 2011, has sold more than 30 million records worldwide. The film takes its name from her acclaimed 2006 album, which won the singer five Grammy Awards.

Marisa Abela as Amy Winehouse in ‘Back to Black’ (Studiocanal)

The Amy Winehouse Estate said of the film: “We are thrilled that Studiocanal, Focus Features and Monumental are making this movie celebrating our daughter Amy’s extraordinary music legacy and showcasing her talent in the way that it deserves.”

It was reported by Variety earlier this year that Back to Black was a “passion project” for Taylor-Johnson, who was close friends with Winehouse.