'Industry's Marisa Abela Channels Amy Winehouse in New 'Back to Black' Trailer
Marisa Abela as Amy Winehouse in 'Back to Black'
StudioCanal
Amy Winehouse's career lasted all of six years and two albums, beginning with the release of Frank in 2005, followed by the smash hit Back to Black in 2007, and ending with her death via overdose in 2011 at the age of 27. However, for those six years, she was a fixture in the British celebrity landscape, and by the time Back to Black was released, she was a household name in America. Her old-school jazz R&B-infused pop opened a door that musicians like Adele stepped through after her, and her career helped elevate producers like Bruno Mars, whose fame followed in her wake. Now, her life and career are being honored in the first ever big screen biopic, appropriately named for her smash hit album and single, Back to Black.
Previously, Winehouse's career and legacy have been covered by TV films like 2021's Reclaiming Amy from the BBC and the documentary feature Amy, which took home the Academy Award in 2015 in that category. However, the full biopic treatment has not been done until now, with this project having been in development since 2018. Created with the full support of the Amy Winehouse Estate and using the singer's entire music catalog, the film traces the singer's rise to fame, her recording of the album, and at least some of the paparazzi frenzy that followed.
The film will star Industry breakout star Marisa Abela, who plays the lead role of Yasmin Kara-Hanani. However, PBS viewers will know her better from COBRA, where she plays Prime Minister Robert Sutherland's wayward daughter, Ellie. Check out her transformation into the singer in the Back to Black trailer.
Here's the film's official logline:
Back to Black is a never-before-seen glimpse into Amy Winehouse’s early rise to fame and the release of her groundbreaking studio album, Back to Black. Told from Amy’s perspective, the film is an unapologetic look at the woman behind the phenomenon and the relationship that inspired one of the most legendary albums of all time.
Abela stars alongside Lesley Manville (Magpie Murders) as Winehouse’s grandmother, Cynthia Winehouse; Eddie Marsan (Ridley Road) as Winehouse’s father, Mitch Winehouse; Juliet Cowan (Am I Being Unreasonable) as Winehouse’s mother, Janis Winehouse-Collins; and Jack O’Connell (Lady Chatterley's Lover) as Winehouse’s husband, Blake Fielder-Civil.
Matt Greenhalgh (Film Stars Don’t Die in Liverpool) penned the screenplay, directed by Sam Taylor-Johnson (Nowhere Boy). Back to Black is executive produced by Nicky Kentish-Barnes, Ron Halpern, and Joe Naftalin for Studiocanal and Alison Owen and Debra Hayward for Monumental Pictures.
Back to Black is due out in U.K. theaters on Friday, April 12, and will arrive in U.S. theaters via Focus Features on Friday, May 10, 2024.
