Timothée Chalamet to Star as Bob Dylan in James Mangold's 'A Complete Unknown'

Searchlight Pictures will release 'A Complete Unknown' on January 23, a biopic directed by James Mangold (Walk the Line) that chronicles Bob Dylan's rise from a Minnesota teenager to folk icon and his controversial electric performance at the 1965 Newport Folk Festival. Based on Elijah Wald's 2015 book 'Dylan Goes Electric!', the film stars Timothée Chalamet as Dylan, who also serves as a producer and learned to sing and play guitar for the role. The cast includes Edward Norton as Pete Seeger, Elle Fanning as Sylvie Russo (Suze Rotolo), and Monica Barbaro as Joan Baez. Mangold told Rolling Stone he aimed to avoid simplifying Dylan, focusing instead on the impact he had on others. Dylan, a fan of Mangold's 'Cop Land' (1997), supported the production by providing archival material, including letters to Johnny Cash. The screenplay was co-written by Mangold and Jay Cocks.