An Amy Winehouse biopic is in the works from Fifty Shades of Grey and Nowhere Boy director Sam Taylor-Johnson, per Deadline. The film will be titled Back to Black, the same name as the singer's second album.
Matt Greenhalgh, who previously worked with Taylor-Johnson on Nowhere Boy, has penned the script. The film is being produced by Studiocanal, and is said to be "moving fast" now that a director has joined the project. The Winehouse estate is supporting the film, and the search for an actor to play the singer will begin over the next few weeks. According to Variety, Taylor-Johnson is thought to be seeking a "relative newcomer" to play the part of Winehouse, and the film is said to be a passion project – the director was a friend of the late singer's.
Winehouse began her career as a jazz singer in 2002 and went on to win six Grammys. She released two studio albums: Frank in 2003 and Back to Black in 2006. She died at the age of 27 in 2011 from alcohol poisoning.
The biopic has been in the works for some time, with the singer's estate first signing a deal for the film in 2018. This won't be the first time Winehouse's story has been brought to screen, though it does mark the first feature film focused on the singer. A24's documentary Amy won the Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature, and other documentaries Winehouse has been the subject of include Amy Winehouse: Back to Black and Reclaiming Amy.
There's no word on a release date for the film just yet. In the meantime, check out our roundup of all of 2022's upcoming movie release dates for everything the year has in store.
