Timothée Chalamet impresses with singing as Bob Dylan in teaser for ‘A Complete Unknown’

Timothée Chalamet, one of Hollywood’s current obsessions who is known for his starring roles in “Dune” and “Wonka,” is set to portray one of the greatest singer-songwriters of all-time, Bob Dylan, in the upcoming film “A Complete Unknown.”

The movie is directed by James Mangold, who also directed “Ford v Ferrari,” “Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny” and “Walk the Line,” per IMDb .

The movie had a rocky start after its announcement in 2020. It faced delays due to the COVID-19 pandemic and the SAG-AFTRA strikes, according to Vogue .

In the recently released teaser trailer, fans got a first look at Chalamet’s portrayal of Dylan, including his singing, which Chalamet confirmed he performed himself in a 2023 interview . In that interview, Chalamet revealed that most of the songs had already been recorded in a California studio with Nick Baxter. Only one or two more songs were incomplete at that time.

Chalamet also shared that Dylan’s manager, Jeff Rosen, had provided him with a playlist of unreleased Bob Dylan music.

“I feel like I’m holding onto gold,” Chalamet said about the unreleased music during the 2023 interview with MTV.

What is ‘A Complete Unknown’ about?

The movie traces Dylan’s historic rise from his arrival in New York in 1961 at age 19 to his “groundbreaking electric rock and roll performance” at the 1965 Newport Folk Festival, according to the synopsis accompanying the trailer .

The teaser revealed that a fictional version of Dylan’s real-life girlfriend, Suze Rotolo, is a big part of “A Complete Unknown.” The character based on Rotolo is named Sylvie Russo and is played by Elle Fanning.

In a recent interview with Rolling Stone , Mangold elaborated on the film’s premise.

“My attraction became instant to this idea of a talent like Bob, so vexing, so provocative, so filled with fiction and fact,” Mangold said. “This idea of this incredible, artistic character landing in New York with 12 dollars in his pocket — trying to thread the needle of how one goes from there to there is so interesting to me.”

He discussed how Dylan contends with his fame and the feelings of “jealousy, worship, idolatry, obsession, love” that his position attracts.

“How does one deal with that burden?” Mangold asked.

How does Bob Dylan feel about ‘A Complete Unknown’?

Mangold has discussed the film with Dylan personally and received his approval to make it.

“The first time I sat down with him,” Mangold told Rolling Stone about meeting with Dylan, “Bob said, ‘What’s this movie about, Jim?’ I said, ‘It’s about a guy who’s choking to death in Minnesota, and leaves behind all his friends and family and reinvents himself in a brand new place, makes new friends, builds a new family, becomes phenomenally successful, starts to choke to death again — and runs away.’”

“I like that,” Dylan said, per Rolling Stone.

When is ‘A Complete Unknown’ coming out?

There is no confirmed release date for “A Complete Unknown,” but it could be released as early as this December.