A biopic on late artist Amy Winehouse is finally moving forward with director Sam Taylor-Johnson, known for her work on Nowhere Boy and Fifty Shades of Grey, at the helm.
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Written by Matt Greenhalgh, Back to Black will be produced by StudioCanal, Alison Owen, Debra Hayward, and Tracey Seaward with the support of the Amy Winehouse Estate, including the late singer’s father Mitchell Winehouse.
The film will reportedly document the life of Winehouse, who died on July 23, 2011, at the age of 27, from her start as a jazz singer in North London to become a Grammy-winning artist with the release of her hit records Rehab and Back to Black.
Though criticized by Winehouse’s father, Asif Kapadia released the film Amy in 2015, which won an Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature Film. Another documentary, Amy Winehouse: Back to Black, was released in 2018 and follows the making of the singer’s iconic second album Back to Black. Directed by Jeremy Marre, the film featured archived footage and interviews with the artist and was accompanied by An Intimate Evening in London, featuring footage of Winehouse performing at Riverside Studios in London in February 2008.
In 2015, the first news of a biopic was reported with Irish filmmaker Kristen Sheridan on board to write and direct the film, starring Noomi Rapace. The initial project did not move forward, and in 2018, it was reported that Alison Owen and Debra Hayward—who remain producers—would produce a Winehouse biopic written by Geoff Deane, authorized by the Winehouse family.
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