Marisa Abela is a candidate to portray Amy Winehouse in the Sam Taylor-Johnson-directed biopic Back To Black
Sam Taylor-Johnson (Fifty Shades of Grey, Nowhere Boy, and A Million Little Pieces) has been tapped to helm the impending Amy Winehouse biopic, which was first hinted by the late singer's father Mitch Winehouse in 2020.
According to a report in Variety published today (28 July), Marisa Abela (Industry) is a potential favorite to win the lead role. Abela is allegedly in conversations, and a small handful of other performers may possibly be involved, though nothing is confirmed just yet.
Before 2020, Amy Winehouse's ex-husband Mitch Winehouse stated that he was trying to "find an unknown actress, ideally a Jewish girl from North or East London who looks a little like Amy and talks like Amy."
The script for the Amy Winehouse biopic, apparently named Back to Black, was written by Matt Greenhalgh of Control and Nowhere Boy. According to Deadline, Studiocanal is collaborating with Alison Owen, Debra Hayward, and Tracey Seaward to produce the biopic.
Back to Black.. The movie
Back to Black, which bears the name of the late singer's second and final studio album, will be directed by Sam Taylor-Johnson, who previously worked on the first film in the well-known Fifty Shades of Grey series.
Taylor-Johnson, 55, captioned a tweet from Deadline, which broke the news, on Monday, July 11, saying, "This is a dream movie to helm."
According to The Hollywood Reporter, the screenplay was written by Matt Greenhalgh, and Studiocanal is collaborating with Alison Owen, Debra Hayward, and Tracey Seaward to produce it. The Winehouse estate has also given the initiative its full backing.
The biopic is expected to cover Winehouse's life from her modest beginnings as a small-town jazz singer in North London to receiving several Grammy awards after releasing top-charting songs like "Rehab" and "Back to Black," according to Deadline. The specific story elements have not yet been published.
Amy Winehouse's death
According to two different coroners' investigations, Amy Winehouse died as a result of alcohol poisoning. Amy had a blood alcohol content of 416 mg per 100 mL, which is five times the legal limit for driving.
She was trying to stop drinking at the time, and a period of abstinence led to a decreased tolerance, which probably played a role in her fatal relapse on July 23 2011.
However, the actual reason for Amy Winehouse's passing was probably more convoluted than that.
Amy Winehouse's bulimia had a big part in her death, making the singer thinner and less able to withstand the impacts of her lifestyle, according to many who were close to her, including her brother Alex Winehouse and close friend Naomi Parry.
Amy Winehouse's death cannot be understood without considering her life, either. Her illustrious career was marred by scandal, a turbulent personal life, and a long addiction battle that necessitated multiple treatment visits.
It may be difficult to imagine Amy Winehouse without drugs and booze. Although the years of innocence for this artist were much too brief, Amy Winehouse did have a childhood.
Amy Winehouse was perceived as a bit of a renegade from an early age. She started experimenting with drugs after her parents' divorce, had a few early tattoos, and was reportedly skipping school frequently.
She was also reported to have been devoted to pursuing a career in music even as a young child. After all, she had a number of family members who were musicians. Having dated renowned musician Ronnie Scott in the past, Cynthia's grandmother was active in the jazz community.
There were already cues that everything was not well. Some of the songs she penned included references to problems with drinking, and the album's "Mr. Magic" hidden track highlighted her connection with narcotics. It included lines like "Without you I'm misery/blue without my green," which seemed to be alluding to marijuana.
After Frank's breakthrough, the young artist purchased her first residence in London's Camden borough, which is known for its hard living, music, and violence. She frequently frequented the neighborhood pubs, where her preferred beverage was the "rickstasy" from The Hawley Arms.
She first encountered Blake Fielder-Civil, a drug-using video production assistant, while out on a local bar crawl. Amy later developed a strong romantic interest in Fielder-Civil, and their turbulent relationship marked a turning point in Amy's life.
During this time, Amy's drug usage intensified, and Fielder-Civil was cited in a tabloid as acknowledging that he had introduced Amy to crack cocaine and heroin. There were rumors that the couple would become aggressive with one another and that self-harm occurred during the relationship.
This appeared to be proven in August 2007 when the two were reportedly seen in public looking disheveled and covered in blood. Amy acknowledged that drinking alcohol may make her more violent in the same year.
Amy saw the volatility of the duet as a creative source for her music, thus it's possible that the relationship's seeming upheaval had a deeper purpose. It seems so wank to say, but Amy said to one interviewer, "I need to get some headaches going to write about."
She could have had a point. Her second album, Back to Black, which came out in 2006 and mostly focused on her relationship with Blake as well as themes like adultery, love, and heartache, was released at this time. The record eventually went on to garner accolades and sell close to 4 million copies in the UK. Additionally, it gave birth to several of Winehouse's best-known tracks, including "Back to Black," "Me & Mr. Jones," and "Tears Dry On Their Own."
