Amy Winehouse’s Father On Studio Biopic: ‘100% Not Allowed’
Mitch Winehouse, Amy Winehouse’s father, believes the production company planning to make a biopic about his late daughter won’t get far because it’s “100 percent not allowed.”
Mitch, who is an administrator of her estate, told gossip website TMZ that there’s absolutely no way the recently announced project with Halcyon Studios can go forward because the estate already has its own plans for a biopic and owns all the rights.
Per The Hollywood Reporter, Halcyon Studios has 40 hours of footage, exclusive photos and notes gathered from Daphne Barak’s 2010 book Saving Amy; Barak completed the book with Winehouse and her family in the last three years of her life. Winehouse died from alcohol poisoning in July 2011 at the age of 27.
After her death, her 2006 album Back to Black continued to sell and has since become the U.K.’s second-best-selling album of the 21st century with more than 20 million copies sold to date. Despite her international success, Winehouse’s personal life was volatile, filled with drug and alcohol use and an abusive relationship with her husband Blake Fielder-Civil.
Mitch claims Halcyon has not reached out to him nor her record label (Universal) to use any of her music, claiming the studio and Barak need permission from the estate because it controls her image — which both failed to do.
Mitch confirmed there’s an authorized biopic set to begin next year with a large production company in the UK along with Universal. He doesn’t believe he will have to take legal action against both parties saying, “They can’t be that stupid. Everyone knows proper licenses must be granted.”