Mark Ronson character ‘cut’ from Amy Winehouse biopic after filming scenes

Canadian actor Jeff Tunke was set to play Ronson; however, his affiliation with the film appears to have disappeared

Mark Ronson has reportedly been cut from the forthcoming Amy Winehouse biopic.

Canadian actor Jeff Tunke was originally cast as the musician and producer opposite Marisa Abela as Winehouse in Sam Taylor-Johnson’s Back to Black.

Despite filming scenes in character, Tunke will not appear in the final film, the Daily Mail reports.

“I got to wear his jacket and work with director Sam Taylor-Johnson, which was lovely,” Tunke told the Mail.

Ronson was one of Winehouse’s most prolific collaborators, producing her seminal final album Back to Black in 2006.

When asked about the cuts, the Mail reports that the film’s producers responded: “The character of Mark Ronson has never appeared on screen in the film, so it would not have been possible to ‘cut all the scenes’ involving Mark Ronson as they do not exist.”

The Independent has contacted StudioCanal for comment.

Amy Winehouse and Mark Ronson on stage, during the BRIT Awards 2008, at Earls Court in central London. (PA)

Taylor-Johnson’s film comes 13 years after Winehouse’s death, aged 27, of alcohol poisoning. It will delve into the life and career of the singer, beginning with her early days in the 2000s as a north London jazz musician and culminating in her rise to fame as a Grammy-winning singer with hits such as “Rehab”.

Jack O’Connell plays Winehouse’s ex-husband Blake Fielder-Civil and Eddie Marsan stars as her father Mitch.

In a recent interview with The Observer, Marsan defended Mitch after he was shown in a negative light in the 2015 documentary Amy as someone who prioritised her career over her health.

“He is a father and that’s how I played him,” Marsen said. “A friend of mine worked with Amy in the music industry and knew him. I said to him: what do you think about Mitch? He said: I liked the man. He saw him as a loving father who had a daughter who was an addict and who was at the same time the most famous woman in the world.”

Marsan added: “He was just a cab driver trying to do his best, trying to deal with it. I’d never have done this film if it sanitised – or demonised – Mitch. It’s not even the way I approach life. Life is more complex than that.”

Since the project was announced, and images of Abela in character surfaced online, many have questioned the necessity of a film about Winehouse, with many accusing it of exploiting her life.

Similarly, a clip from the film, showing Abela singing in character as the Grammy Award-winning star, has been met with brutal reactions online.

However, 50 Shades of Grey director Taylor-Johnson has defended the film, telling The Times: “Noise will always be big about something like this, but nobody has really seen it yet and we’ve made it through Amy’s words, music, her perspective.”

“It is not an investigative piece – it joyfully honours Amy,” she added.

Back to Black is in cinemas in the UK on 12 April and is set to be released in the US on 17 May.