A new Amy Winehouse biopic about the last years of her life is on the way

A biopic about the life of Amy Winehouse is on the way after Daphne Barak’s 2010 book Saving Amy was optioned by Halcyon Studios.

As per The Hollywood Reporter, the film will inevitably focus on the final years of the iconic singer’s life, as Barak’s book focuses on the same time period. The author recorded 40 hours of footage of Winehouse in the three years preceding her tragic death in 2011. Those years saw Winehouse struggle with substance abuse as her drug and alcohol addiction overcame her life and career.

Barak took the footage and formed it into Saving Amy. Included are several noteworthy interviews with Winehouse’s parents Mitch and Janis. Barak will serve as an executive producer on the new film, although she herself is not without controversy: The Guardian review of her book called her a “prolific networker”, and criticising that she didn’t include any interviews with anyone of Amy’s own generation, such as her brother Alex or her best friend Juliette.

“Our team is honored to be working on this project. Although her career was cut far too short, Amy was the voice of a generation and we look forward to telling her story in the most poignant way possible,” David Ellender, Halcyon Studios’ CEO, said in a statement. No casting has been announced for the project yet but it will take a formidable actor to portray the iconic Winehouse.

It won’t be the first film to focus on the star. In 2015, Asif Kapadia (Senna, Diego Maradona) released his documentary Amy, covering her life before and after her career blossomed. It was also critically acclaimed, winning the Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature. Amy was, however, criticised by Mitch Winehouse, who said the documentary contained “some basic untruths.”

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