What We Know About Timothée Chalamet’s Upcoming Bob Dylan Movie
We’ve known for years now that a Bob Dylan biopic was in the works, but updates about the production have been pretty thin on the ground — until now. Photos have recently begun to circulate showing the movie’s star, Timothée Chalamet, in costume as Dylan. This has predictably sent the internet into a figurative meltdown, but what else do we know about the movie, and what can we expect it to be about?
A busy person at the helm
The biopic, which will be called A Complete Unknown, is being helmed by James Mangold, the director behind Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny, Ford v Ferrari, Logan, Walk The Line, and Cop Land. Mangold already has his hands full at the moment, with a range of upcoming projects on the cards — including a new Star Wars film!
But despite such a busy schedule, the filmmaker is focused on making this Bob Dylan movie. And, if he’s to be believed, he’s pretty excited about it. That’s the impression he was keen to give off during a chat with Collider, anyway.
“An amazing time in American culture”
Mangold told the movie publication, “It’s such an amazing time in American culture and the story of Bob, a young 19-year-old Bob Dylan coming to New York with $2 in his pocket and becoming a worldwide sensation within three years first being embraced and kind of into the family of folk music in New York. And then of course, kind of outrunning them at a certain point as his star rises.”
“It’s so beyond belief, it’s such an interesting true story and about such an interesting moment in America, the American scene, different characters from Woody Guthrie to Bob Dylan, to Pete Seeger, to Joan Baez. All have a role to play in this movie.”
High praise
Speaking in summer 2023 to the Happy Sad Confused podcast, Mangold claimed that the script for his Dylan movie had an especially important admirer: Dylan himself. The writer-director said, “I’ve spent several, wonderfully charming, days in his company, just one-on-one, talking to him.”
“I have a script that’s personally annotated by him and treasured by me. He loves movies. The first time I sat down with Bob, one of the first things he said to me was, ‘I love Cop Land.’”
“Getting to dive into that world”
A good script is one thing, but the strength of the film will obviously rely heavily upon the performance of its main star. That will mean Chalamet will have to be on top of his game! But, from everything he’s so far said publicly about his preparation for the role, he seems to be taking it very seriously indeed.
In 2022 Chalamet told Variety, “I haven’t stopped preparing, which has been one of the greatest gifts for me. It’s been a wonderful experience getting to dive into that world.