English singer Amy Winehouse’s tragic story of life, loss and the sinister side of fame is undergoing the biopic treatment, with her life story being made into a biopic called Black To Back.
The news of the film comes eleven years after the Camden-based musician passed away from a fatal alcohol overdose in 2011.
The project is directed by Sam Taylor-Johnson, who has previously adapted the life story of John Lennon for the 2009 biographical film Nowhere Boy and also directed Fifty Shades of Grey. Taylor-Johnson was reportedly a close friend of the late singer.
Also attached to the film is screenwriter Matt Greenhalgh, a collaborator of Taylor-Johnson’s who also worked on the 2007 biopic Control about Joy Division frontman Ian Curtis.
As per Variety, it’s understood that the film’s script has been written and is currently in circulation with casting for the lead role currently underway.
Amy Winehouse joins the likes of Madonna and Elvis whose stories of success have been adapted for the big screen.
At this stage, there is no insight into who will be playing the titular role.
“I wouldn’t mind betting it would be an unknown, young, English — London, cockney — actress who looks a bit like Amy,” Winehouse’s father, Mitch, told British tabloids back in 2018.
“What we want is somebody to portray Amy in the way that she was…the funny, brilliant, charming and horrible person that she was. There’s no point really me making the film because I’m her dad. But to get the right people to do it, that’s very important, and we will,” he added.
The film has been in production since 2018, when it was green lit by Amy Winehouse’s estate.
However, it’s not the first time that a film has been made about the six-time Grammy Award winner.
In 2015, British filmmaker Asif Kapadia released the critically-acclaimed documentary Amy which showed unparalleled access to never-before-seen home videos and interviews with Amy Winehouse’s closest friends, including her ex-husband Blake Fielder-Civil.
The documentary, which inevitably won the Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature, presented both Fielder-Civil and Winehouse’s father as contributing factors to the singer’s demise, which was also a result of drug addiction, excessive media attention and her battles with mental illness.
Winehouse remains one of the most successful female artists of all time, inspiring musicians like Lady Gaga and Adele to pursue a career in the industry.
Related stories
Native ad body.
Native ad body.
Native ad body.
