How many roads must the Lisan al-Gaib (sand)walk down, before you can call him a man? The answer, my friend, is in the trailer for A Complete Unknown – the upcoming Bob Dylan biopic from James Mangold, starring none other than Timothée Chalamet as the legendary folk artist. This is a film that’s been brewing in Hollywood for many years now, and after hanging up the Indiana Jones whip post-Dial Of Destiny, Mangold has finally made it happen – his first music biopic since his excellent Johnny Cash film, Walk The Line. This first teaser doesn’t show a huge amount, but unveils Chalamet’s take on Dylan, shows off lots of ‘60s New York, and also features Chalamet singing ‘A Hard Rain’s A-Gonna Fall’. Check it out here:
We’ve had plenty of music biopics in recent years – but this one feels particularly exciting, not only for Chalamet taking on the central role, but for Mangold holding the reins. And it’s undeniable that Chalamet has the Dylan look down here, and the voice is sounding strong too. The film will follow the young Dylan as he rises to fame, leaving Minnesota and arriving in the big city with a hatful of dreams – rapidly becoming one of the greatest musicians of all time. Elle Fanning is thought to be playing a fictional amalgamation of Dylan’s early romances, with Edward Norton as legendary folk musician Pete Seeger.
It remains to be seen how Dylan’s story will fare in a more standard biopic telling – previously, his life was captured in more kaleidoscopic style in Todd Haynes’ I’m Not There, which featured several actors (including Christian Bale, Ben Whishaw, Heath Ledger, and Cate Blanchett) playing different facets of the musician. This one is penned by Mangold himself, alongside co-writer Jay Cocks, based on Elijah Wald’s 2015 book Dylan Goes Electric! Here’s the official synopsis: “Set in the influential New York music scene of the early 60s, A Complete Unknown follows 19-year-old Minnesota musician Bob Dylan’s meteoric rise as a folk singer to concert halls and the top of the charts – his songs and mystique becoming a worldwide sensation – culminating in his groundbreaking electric rock and roll performance at the Newport Folk Festival in 1965.”
Will A Complete Unknown make cinema audiences go electric? Will it walk the line of Mangold’s previous work? And will it feature any Wonka redux songs? We’ll find out when it hits UK cinemas in January 2025.