The much-anticipated Amy Winehouse biopic Black To Black has been given official release dates.
The Sam Taylor-Johnson-directed film, starring British actress Marisa Abela as the late eclectic singer-songwriter, is set to premiere in theaters in the U.S on May 10, 2024, while fans in the UK will be able to get a first-look at it four weeks earlier with an April 12, 2024 release date.
The upcoming biographical film has been described as ‘a never-before-seen glimpse into Amy Winehouse’s early rise to fame and the release of her groundbreaking studio album, Back To Black,’ according to Focus Features.
Told from Winehouse’s perspective, the film takes an unapologetic look at the woman who transforms into a global pop star, and the relationship that inspired one of the most legendary albums of all time.
Back To Black, the album, would not only serve as her breakthrough album but also her final release, in the wake of her sudden and tragic death, attributed to alcohol poisoning in July 2011.
The upcoming biopic about Amy Winehouse, Back To Black, starring Marisa Abela as the late singer-songwriter, is set to be released in the U.S. May 10 and on April 12 in the UK; Abela and Eddie Marsan are pictured shooting a scene for the film this past January
Winehouse predominantly based the Back To Black album on her tumultuous relationship with on-off boyfriend Blake Fielder-Civil, who she had broken up with prior to its release in October 2006.
He had left then then rising star to pursue his previous ex-girlfriend, but in the end their short-lived separation helped inspired her to create a batch of songs that explore themes of guilt, grief, infidelity, heartbreak and trauma in a relationship.
Catching on with a wide variety of people, Back To Black sent her celebrity star soaring on the heels of five hit songs: Rehab, You Know I’m No Good, Back To Black, Tears Dry On Their Own and Love Is A Losing Game.
The on-off couple ended up getting back together one of their many times to get married in 2007, only to see Fielder-Civil land in prison the following year, which was followed by their divorce in 2009.
Speaking after her death, blamed on alcohol poisoning in 2011, Fielder-Civil revealed they had a wild four months which descended into rampant drug use, and admitted he regretted introducing his former wife to heroin, according to Mirror.
Her success could be attributed, in part, to her very recognizable contralto vocals, a type of classic singing voice, along with her eclectic mix of musical genres such as soul, R&B, Jazz reggae that she would mix with more contemporary sounds.
With sales close to four million sales in the UK, her seminal sophomore release has gone on to sell more than 16 million copies worldwide.
Winehouse would also go on to win five Grammy Awards for the album that includes Record Of The Year, Song Of The Year and Best Female Pop Vocal Performance for Rehab, as well as Best Pop Vocal Album and Best New Artist.
Marisa Abela looks much like the Rehab singer in the new biopic; she’s pictured alongside Eddie Marsan also also has an uncanny similar look as her father, Mitch Winehouse
The Back To Black biopic takes unapologetic look at the woman who transforms into a global pop star, and the relationship that inspired her classic studio album of the same name; the Back To Black (2006) album contained five hit songs: Rehab, You Know I’m No Good, Back To Black, Tears Dry On Their Own and Love Is A Losing Game
Along with Abela in the lead role, the cast for the biopic also includes Jack O’Connell, who plays Winehouse’s ex-husband Blake Fielder-Civil, Eddie Marsan as her father Mitch Winehouse, Juliet Cowan as her mother Janis Winehouse-Collins, and Lesley Manville as her grandmother Cynthia Winehouse.
Before slipping into the role of Winehouse, Abela, 27, had been best known to many fans for her role in the HBO and BBC Two drama series Industry (2020-present).
She first appeared aged 11 as the character Alice in the thriller Man In A Box (2008).
After taking a long hiatus from performing to finish her education, she returned to star in the Sky One political thriller series COBRA, which led to her landing her ongoing role as Yasmin Kara-Hanani in Industry.
The Back To Black biopic was made with the full support of Universal Music Group, Sony Music Publishing, and The Amy Winehouse Estate.
Amy Winehouse is widely considered one of the greatest artists in recent history, selling more than 30 million records worldwide, and today generating more than 80 million streams per month.
The British singer and songwriter was just 27 when she died in her London, England home on July 23, 2011.
Before slipping into the role of Winehouse, Abela, had been best known to many fans for her role in the HBO and BBC Two drama series Industry (2020-present); she is seen in March 2022
Amy Winehouse’s death at the age of 27 in July 2011 was attributed to alcohol poisoning; she is pictured performing in London, England in 2006
After British police reopened the probe in her death in December 2012, a second inquest confirmed that Winehouse died of an accidental alcohol overdose.
In an interview with the singer’s brother, Alex Winehouse revealed his belief that his sister’s eating disorder, and the consequential physical weakness that came with it, was the primary cause of her death.
‘She suffered from bulimia very badly. That’s not, like, a revelation – you knew just by looking at her,’ Rolling Stone reported in 2013. ‘She would have died eventually, the way she was going, but what really killed her was the bulimia… I think that it left her weaker and more susceptible. Had she not had an eating disorder, she would have been physically stronger.’
Again, Back To Black premieres in theaters in the UK on n April 12, 2024, and then in the U.S. a month later on May 10, 2024.
