The British multi-instrumentalist record producer Mark Ronson will not feature in the upcoming Amy Winehouse biopic Back to Black, despite producing the late artist’s 2006 album of the same name and performing frequently during her live performances.
Directed by Sam Taylor-Johnson, Back to Black will follow the promising star from her teen years in London to her meteoric rise to worldwide acclaim and streak of six Grammy award wins.
The biopic is set to arrive in cinemas on April 12th and stars Marisa Abela in the lead role as Winehouse while BAFTA-nominated actor Jack O’Connell portrays her ex-husband Blake Fielder-Civil. Accompanying them is acclaimed actress Lesley Manville, who takes on the role of Winehouse’s grandmother Janis Levy.
In a recent interview with The Daily Mail, the Canadian actor Jeff Tunke confirmed the scenes he had filmed portraying Ronson had been subsequently cut from the movie during production. The actor revealed that, since his scenes had been removed, his credits also disappeared from the movie’s IMDb page.
Despite Tunke’s claims, director Taylor-Johnson’s spokesperson claimed that the part of Ronson was never written into the movie. “It would not have been possible to ‘cut all the scenes’ involving Mark Ronson as they do not exist,” they insisted candidly.
As well as playing a crucial part in creating Winehouse’s 2006 album, Ronson was one of Winehouse’s close friends. While the producer has had no involvement in the project, he revealed previously that he had been contacted by the creators and handed a script to read through.
Speaking at the Critics’ Choice Awards, Ronson revealed that he didn’t know much about the project but had been in contact with the director. “I know Sam quite well, and I read the script,” he said. “I was reminded of [Amy Winehouse’s] humour, and it really caught that well.”
Ronson didn’t address his role in Winehouse’s story but seemed very excited to see it in April. “I think she just had this whip-smart razor sense of humour, which is one of her many gifts, and they got that very nice in the film. I’m looking forward to seeing it,” he added.
In January, Taylor-Johnson discussed her vision for the movie, revealing how it would differ from Asif Kapadia’s 2015 movie Amy. “We really wanted to do it from [Winehouse’s] perspective and through her eyes,” he said.
Taylor-Johnson added that she hoped the movie could take the audience on a “journey through her music, and through her words, so that we’re back with her, rather than the documentary, which is very much outside looking in. I wanted to feel like we were with her in her creative process.”
Watch the official trailer for Back to Black below.
