With two studios running point for the rock biopic, “Back To Black,” Studio Canal in the U.K., and Focus Features in the U.S., you essentially get two kicks at the promotion can. From director Sam Taylor-Johnson (“Fifty Shades Of Grey”), “Back To Black” is a biopic of the late pioneering blues and soul R&B artist Amy Winehouse, who became a smash sensation globally in the early aughts.
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The film is the latest in a music rock biopic renaissance that started with “N.W.A.: Straight Out Of Compton,” in 2015 and then further bolstered by the Academy award-winning Queen biopic, “Bohemian Rhapsody.” ‘Rhapsody’ is the film everyone’s trying to replicate, and it made a whopping $910 million at the global box office in 2018, which is still a mind-boggling figure.
Starring as Winehouse in the biopic is Marisa Abela, the breakout star of HBO’s “Industry,” one of the most underrated shows on television that finally returns this summer. The cast also features Jack O’Connell, Eddie Marsan, and Lesley Manville.
Here’s the official synopsis:
The extraordinary story of Amy Winehouse’s early rise to fame, from her early days in Camden through the making of her groundbreaking album, Back to Black that, catapulted Winehouse to global fame. Told through Amy’s eyes and inspired by her deeply personal lyrics, the film explores and embraces the many layers of the iconic artist and the tumultuous love story at the center of one of the most legendary albums of all time.
Written by Matt Greenhalgh, who has written many films directed by Sam Taylor-Johnson, the drama is produced by Alison Owen, p.g.a., Debra Hayward, and Nicky Kentish-Barnes. “Back To Black” is already in U.K. cinemas now, and the last trailer touts the various quotes and praise the film has been given. Stateside, “Back To Black” opens on May 17. Watch the new trailer below.