Marisa Abela top contender for Amy Winehouse biopic

The Amy Winehouse biopic is starting to make significant strides after languishing in development for quite some time. The biopic, titled Back to Black, has been looking to cast a newcomer to play Winehouse rather than an established pop star, and it looks like they have their eyes on someone in particular. Per Variety, Marisa Abela, best known for the HBO and BBC Two series Industry, is the top contender for the role of Amy Winehouse, and talks are underway to make the casting official.

Abela is of Maltese, Libyan, Russian, and Polish descent but also happens to be of Jewish heritage. This was important to those behind the biopic because they want to be as authentic as possible in telling Winehouses’s story. The late singer was Jewish, which is important for the filmmakers to stay true to. Abela’s previous roles have not showcased any singing skills, but her RADA profile describes her as a singer with a “lower vocal register that’s in line with Winehouse’s own extraordinary range.”

The actress is becoming a bit of a rising star. In addition to playing Yasmin Kara-Hanani in Industry, she recently joined the star-studded Greta Gerwig Barbie movie, headlined by Margot Robbie and Ryan Gosling. She also previously starred in the Sky TV series COBRA and is set to appear in the upcoming films Rogue Agent and She Is Love.

Amy Winehouse was a remarkably talented singer that was just 27 years old when she passed away in 2011. Her album Back to Black, released in 2006, is one of the best-selling albums in UK history, and it also became a big hit in the US, winning five Grammy Awards. Sadly, Winehouse was plagued by drug and alcohol addiction and died of alcohol poisoning on July 23, 2011. There have been plans for years to get a scripted biopic made, and while various documentaries have moved forward, the biopic didn’t gain momentum until recently, and now that a star is being eyed, it looks like it’s full steam ahead. Sam Taylor-Johnson will helm the biopic, which is fitting because she was a personal friend of Winehouse and knew the later singer well.

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