Amy Winehouse’s dad reacts to ‘shocking’ biopic that people are calling to be boycotted

Amy Winehouse became one of the most notorious examples of the so-called '27 Club' when she passed away in 2011.

Now the 'Back to Black' hitmaker is being immortalised in a new biopic, where she will be played by English actress, Marisa Abela, 26.

The film, which is being directed by Sam Taylor-Johnson, began shooting on 16 January, and Mitch Winehouse, Amy's father, shared his thoughts about Marisa stepping into Amy's shoes.

Alamy / PA Images

Mitch, 72, told TMZ: "Marisa's a great choice for the role, even if she doesn't look exactly like Amy."

Amy's dad, who is himself being portrayed by Eddie Marsan, 54, said that people tend to focus too much on looks when it comes to biopics.

He added that 'there's too much emphasis on looks… because there [are] plenty of Hollywood examples of actors not looking like their real-life characters'.

Mitch's comments come after social media commentators were less than kind about the actress playing the role - claiming that she did not bear enough of a resemblance to the late singer to portray her.

Reacting to pictures of Marisa on set, one Twitter user lamented: "I wish Lady Gaga got this part."

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A second questioned: "Someone explain to me why they didn’t want Lady Gaga for this? She can do the look, and would 100% hit the vocals."

"That’s supposed to look like Amy Winehouse?" questioned a third while a fourth wrote: "She looks like Kate Middleton cosplaying as Amy Winehouse."

"The fact that they did not cast Lauren Jauregui for this destroys me," remarked a fifth.

However, it's not just the casting of the new biopic that's come under fire, so too has its general existence, which has been accused of 'exploiting' the singer's legacy.

Some fans have even gone as far as to call for the biopic to be boycotted.

"Can we please the deceased alone?" slammed one Twitter user. "More often than not, these biopics are a mess and exploitative."

Other fans criticised the film for detailing distressing moments from the singer's life - as the troubled star struggled with drug addiction prior to her death from alcohol poisoning.

Alamy / Katie Collins

As reported by the MailOnline, Amy's friends are also upset that they have not been consulted about the biopic.

One friend revealed: "Nobody consulted us about Amy.

"How can it be authentic and accurate if they don't know the real Amy or the truth about what happened in her final years? We are against this and we are upset. Amy was absolutely striking."