Bob Dylan Biopic, Starring Timothe Chalamet, Finally Gets a Release Date

Bob Dylan Biopic, Starring Timothe Chalamet, Finally Gets a Release Date

As a connoisseur of biopics and a history enthusiast, I am thrilled to my bones about the upcoming release of “A Complete Unknown” on Christmas Day. The prospect of Timothée Chalamet portraying Bob Dylan, under the guidance of James Mangold, is as enticing as a mince pie on a frosty winter’s eve.


The anticipation for Christmas has grown even greater with Searchlight Pictures’ announcement today that the Bob Dylan biopic featuring Timothée Chalamet as the main character will be released in cinemas on December 25th. This movie, which also stars Edward Norton as Pete Seeger, Elle Fanning as Sylvie Russo, Boyd Holbrook as Johnny Cash, and Dan Fogler as Albert Grossman, is set to compete with Robert Eggers’ remake of Nosferatu on Christmas day.

At the helm for the movies are James Mangold, director of The Wolverine and Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny, along with co-writer Jay Cocks (Silence, Gangs of New York). They transport us back to 1960s New York in this story. In a similar vein, the film A Complete Unknown revolves around an enigmatic 19-year-old Dylan (played by Chalamet), who hails from Minnesota and makes his way to Greenwich Village. With his electric guitar and innovative sounds, Dylan significantly impacts American folk music as he climbs the ladder of fame. Despite being both welcomed and rejected by the folk community, Dylan continues to make bold decisions that ultimately solidify his status as one of the greatest figures in music history.

In a conversation with Collider, I shared that I was drawn to tell Dylan’s tale because it encapsulates such a captivating era in American history and offers an intriguing true account of a pivotal moment within our cultural landscape. Although the real Bob Dylan won’t grace the screen in this film adaptation of Elijah Wald’s book, Dylan Goes Electric, he generously offered me numerous suggestions for the script.

Does James Mangold Have Another Walk the Line on His Hands?

Recently, I had a fascinating sneak peek at Timothée Chalamet as the legendary folk musician in the initial trailer for “A Complete Unknown”. Similar to his role in “Wonka”, Chalamet is singing on his own accord, and judging by his electrifying rendition of “A Hard Rain’s A-Gonna Fall” in that sneak peek, this could potentially be a brilliant choice. If his portrayal of Dylan is as impressive as his previous Oscar-nominated role in Luca Guadagnino’s “Call Me By Your Name”, we might see another Academy nod for Chalamet – especially if the film mirrors the success of Mangold’s previous music biopic, “Walk the Line”.

In 2005, the film brought in a massive $186 million at the global box office, and it also garnered Oscar nominations for Reese Witherspoon and Joaquin Phoenix, with the latter taking home the award. Interestingly, Mangold hasn’t won an Academy Award yet, but he was nominated for Best Picture in 2020 for “Ford v Ferrari”, and for Best Adapted Screenplay in 2017 for “Logan”.

Searchlights Pictures is planning to finance this movie following a highly successful year at the box office, with their film “Poor Things,” directed by Yorgos Lanthimos and starring Academy Award winner Emma Stone, earning over $117.6 million globally. We’re eager to see if they’ll discover a comparable sum of money for them this Christmas.

A Complete Unknown
is out in US cinemas on Dec. 25.

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2024-08-06 22:31