With principal photography set to get underway this coming Monday, Focus Features and Monumental Pictures have shared a first-look image from the upcoming Amy Winehouse biopic Back to Black featuring Marisa Abela (Industry) as the iconic singer.
The film is being directed by Sam Taylor-Johnson from a script by Matt Greenhalgh, reuniting the filmmaker and screenwriter following their 2009 collaboration on the John Lennon film Nowhere Boy. The official synopsis reads:
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 produced 2006 album Back To Black, propelled her to global stardom, going on to win a (then) record breaking 5 Grammy Awards, including Record Of The Year and Song of The Year for hit single Rehab.
BACK TO BLACK will focus on Amy’s extraordinary genius, creativity and honesty that infused everything she did. A journey that took her from the craziness and colour of 90’s Camden High Street to global adoration – and back again, BACK TO BLACK crashes through the looking glass of celebrity to watch this journey from behind the mirror, to see what Amy saw, to feel what she felt.
“My connection to Amy began when I left college and was hanging out in the creatively diverse London borough of Camden,” said Sam Taylor-Johnson. “I got a job at the legendary KOKO CLUB, and I can still breathe every market stall, vintage shop and street… 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.”
“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,” added the Amy Winehouse Estate, which is providing full support to the project alongside Universal Music Group and Sony Music Publishing.
