Nick Cave and his longtime collaborator Warren Ellis have teamed up to score the forthcoming Amy Winehouse biopic Back to Black.
Cave and Ellis composed “about 20-30 minutes” of music for the film, according to Variety.
“Nick and Warren were the only musicians in my mind to score Back to Black,” said director Sam Taylor-Johnson in a statement. “Over the years I’ve listened to everything they’ve composed and longed to realize the dream of working together. Their sensibility as well as understanding of this story has led to a profoundly deep and moving film score.”
The pair most recently composed the soundtrack to Netflix’s Marilyn Monroe biopic Blonde after previously creating soundtracks for film and TV productions like The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford, The Road, and DAHMER – Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story. In 2021, they released the collaborative album Carnage.
Back to Black was directed by Taylor-Johnson (Nowhere Boy) from a script penned by Matt Greenhalgh. Starring Marisa Abela, the film chronicles the singer’s early years as a jazz musician in North London and her turbulent journey to fame.
The cast is rounded out by Jack O’Connell as Winehouse’s husband, Blake Fielder-Civil; Eddie Marsan as Winehouse’s father, Mitch; and Lesley Manville as her grandmother, Cynthia. The biopic will feature Abela performing many of the late artist’s hits thanks to the full support of Winehouse’s estate.
Revisit the first trailer for Back to Black. It premieres in the UK on April 12th, followed by a US release on May 17th.