The English actress will portray the late singer in a new film from Sam Taylor-Johnson.
Industry star Marisa Abela is bringing Amy Winehouse back to life in an upcoming portrayal of the late singer. The 26-year-old was spotted in full costume and makeup in Soho, London, as filming began on Back to Black.
In addition to the photos of Abela and her co-star, Eddie Marsan, who will play Winehouse's father, Mitch, Focus Features released a portrait of the actress looking like a near flawless replica of Winehouse -- sporting Winehouse's signature beehive and all.
Days prior to the start of filming, Abela posted a photo of her standing next to a giant mural of Winehouse. "And for London. This is for London. Cause Camden Town ain’t burnin down," she captioned her photo, quoting the singer's acceptance speech about the Camden Market fire during the 2008 GRAMMY Awards.
She added, "I love you, Amy."
Winehouse, who sold more than 30 million records worldwide at the time and won five GRAMMYs for Back to Black, died of alcohol poisoning a few years later in 2011 at the age of 27.
Directed by Sam Taylor-Johnson and written by Matt Greenhalgh, the new biopic will look back on Winehouse's "vibrant years living in London in the early aughts and her intense journey to fame... [It] will focus on Amy’s extraordinary genius, creativity and honesty that infused everything she did. A journey that took her from the craziness and color of 90’s Camden High Street to global adoration -- and back again, Back to Black crashes through the looking glass of celebrity to watch this journey from behind the mirror, to see what Amy saw, to feel what she felt."
In a statement released to the press, the director shared how her "connection to Amy" began while spending time in the London borough of Camden after college. "I got a job at the legendary KOKO CLUB, and I can still breathe every market stall, vintage shop and street... A few years later Amy wrote her searingly honest songs whilst living in Camden. Like with me, it became part of her DNA," Taylor-Johnson shared.
She continued by saying, "As a filmmaker you can’t really ask for more. I feel excited and humbled to have this opportunity to realize Amy’s beautifully unique and tragic story to cinema accompanied by the most important part of her legacy – her music. I am fully aware of the responsibility, with my writing collaborator -- Matt Greenhalgh -- I will create a movie that we will all love and cherish forever. Just like we do Amy."
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