- Amy Winehouse will be played by Marisa Abela in the biopic “Back to Black.”
- Marisa’s audition has thrilled the producers.
- Amy Winehouse passed away tragically in 2011 at the age of 27.
The lead part in the Focus Features film on the sad singer has been cast on the “Industry” actress.
Marisa’s audition reportedly thrilled the film’s producers and put her in a strong position to get the part. Sam Taylor-Johnson is directing the film.
Focus moved rapidly to secure distribution rights for the film after Abela immediately signed on.
Amy Winehouse passed away tragically in 2011 at the age of 27, and Taylor-Johnson was good friends with her. It is reported that the late singer’s father, Mitch Winehouse, has given his complete support to her film.
Various projects about Amy have been in development but none have come to fruition. The 2015 Asif Kapadia documentary ‘Amy’ proved successful and won an Oscar but was criticised for being “misleading” by Mitch.
Taylor-Johnson said: “My connection to Amy began when I left college and was hanging out in the creatively diverse London borough of Camden.
“I got a job at the legendary Kolo 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.”
The ‘Fifty Shades of Grey’ director said: “As a filmmaker you can’t 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.”
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