INQUISITR.COM / Entertainment

Amy Winehouse Biopic In The Works With Star Noomi Rapace [Report]

By Niki Cruz
Published on: 10:52 PST, Nov 5, 2015

The critically acclaimed documentary Amy, which uncovered lost footage of the late singer Amy Winehouse, is currently drumming up some pretty powerful Oscar buzz. So, with that in mind, it isn’t a surprise that someone out there would want to capitalize on this moment in time, especially since it seems like people are still very much fascinated about the late star, who fell into addiction and became one of the most pestered paparazzi targets of the digital age.

According to the Hollywood Reporter, Irish director Kristen Sheridan will bring an Amy Winehouse biopic to the big screen. It seems as though there won’t be a big search for the star (or unknown) to embody Amy Winehouse, as actress Noomi Rapace has been tapped to play the legendary singer.

That said, this film may run into a few road blocks as Amy’s father, Mitch Winehouse, who owns the estate, has never been receptive to other people making films about his daughter. Given his role in her life, or lack thereof, according to the documentary, Mitch has been very vocal about his disdain for the documentary that probably got the ball (or at least interest) rolling on this particular biopic.

Either way, Noomi Rapace is a very interesting choice to play Amy. As an actress, she definitely has the chops to pull it off as she’s taken on difficult material in the past. It’s also easy to see a certain resemblance between the two, which isn’t the end all and be all, but it is important when embodying a person who is so fresh in everyone’s minds.

As the Inquisitr reported, Mitch was very vocal about the documentary as he wasn’t happy with how the obtained footage depicted him. In the film, he was framed as a fame-grabbing father who turned the other cheek to Amy’s addictions very early on. Winehouse went on to blast the film and the people that participated (ex manager Nick Shymansk and two of Amy’s close friends.)

At the time, Mitch told the Guardian, “It was horrible. I told them that they were a disgrace. I said: ‘You should be ashamed of yourselves. You had the opportunity to make a wonderful film and you’ve made this.'”

He continued,

“They [the film-makers] were a bit like the police in the 70s. They ‘knew’ who the villains were … and now they had to make it fit. Just like they did with the Birmingham Six. And guess what – they were innocent, and so are we. We made many mistakes, but not loving our daughter was not one of them.”

It’s not yet known whether or not Amy Winehouse’s father is cooperating with director Kristen Sheridan for this film, or if he’s going to be a huge roadblock for production. According to the Hollywood Reporter, they are currently talking with Mitch to obtain the rights to Amy’s music.

Some other biopics have been thwarted by their respective estate’s refusal to cooperate. Most recently, Jimi Hendrix’s family were not cooperative with the filmmakers for Jimi: All is By My Side, which saw Andre 3000 portray the late rocker. Steve Jobs’ family also weren’t involved in the recent film Steve Jobs, which stars Michael Fassbender as the prickly genius.

That said, it will most likely be some time before we hear about the development of the Amy Winehouse biopic, and if we do hear new developments, hopefully it means that Mitch Winehouse is cooperating. After all, back when Amy hit theaters, and became one of the highest-earning independent releases, Winehouse expressed interest in making his own movie about Amy.

Winehouse told the show Loose Women about his plans for a film about his daughter’s life,

“We’re going to invite everyone that’s spoken on the other film and we’re not going to edit it, like they’ve edited me, and we’re going to tell the truth about Amy’s life because this is not.”

[Photo by Gareth Cattermole/Getty Images]

Share this article: Amy Winehouse Biopic In The Works With Star Noomi Rapace [Report]
More from Inquisitr