Director Sam Taylor-Johnson said: "Discovering a talent like Marisa Abela is akin to finding gold dust. The moment she looked into the lens at her first audition I knew she was the perfect actor to play Amy Winehouse.

"She put in an enormous amount of work, attention to every detail and she trained daily for hours to be able to sing throughout the entire movie. She doesn’t impersonate Amy, she inhabits her."

First look picture of Marisa Abel as Amy Winehouse

Back in January 2023 as the project prepared to begin filming, production company StudioCanal released a first look photo of actress Marisa Abel on the set as the 'Love Is A Losing Game' songmaker... And the likeness was striking. Marisa Abela as Amy Winehouse © StudioCanal

What have Amy's family said about Back To Black?

Amy's family have supported the project, with a statement from The Amy Winehouse Estate reading: "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."

Who is in the cast?

As mentioned, Marisa Abela will star as Amy. She's joined in the film by Jack O’Connell as Blake Fielder-Civil, Eddie Marsan as Mitch Winehouse, Juliet Cowan as Janis Winehouse and Golden Globe and Oscar-nominated Lesley Manville as Amy’s grandmother, Cynthia.

Marisa shared a tribute to Amy on her Instagram profile shortly after the announcement of her casting, simply writing: '“And for London. This is for London. Cause Camden Town ain’t burnin down”. I love you, Amy. ❤️'

When is it being released?

The film will be released in the UK and Ireland on 12th April 2024, and will be released in the US on 10th May 2024. Filming began on Monday 16th January 2023 and wrapped in April 2023.

Why did Sam Taylor-Johnson want to make a film about Amy Winehouse?

Director Sam Taylor-Johnson also expressed her understanding of the gravity of her role, saying: "My connection to Amy began when I left college and was hanging out in the creatively diverse London borough of Camden. A few years later Amy wrote her searingly honest songs whilst living in Camden. Like with me, it became part of her DNA."

Sam, who also directed John Lennon biopic Nowhere Boy, added: "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."

What is the upcoming Amy Winehouse biopic called?

The film is called 'Back To Black', named after Amy's song and 2007 album of the same name that really catapulted her into the spotlight.

What will the film be about?

The official synopsis from StudioCanal reads: '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.'

from https://planetradio.co.uk