The first trailer for the film A Complete Unknown, unveiled on Wednesday, features Franco-American actor Timothée Chalamet portraying Bob Dylan, delivering a stunning rendition of his song A Hard Rain’s A-Gonna Fall.
The film by James Mangold, who also directed the biographical film Walk the Line about singer Johnny Cash, tells the story of Bob Dylan’s early years in New York, from 1961 to his iconic performance in 1965 at the Newport Folk Festival, the first concert where he played with electric instruments.
In an interview with Rolling Stone, director James Mangold praised Timothée Chalamet’s brilliant
performance, which led to miraculous
moments during filming. He recounts that the 28-year-old actor really took the time to immerse himself body and soul into the character and his music, having taken singing and guitar lessons to better embody Dylan.
The many years of preparation we had, due to false starts and COVID-19, allowed [Timothée] to have a period of incubation as a musician
, the filmmaker explained.
Director James Mangold and actor Timothée Chalamet on the set of “A Complete Unknown”
Photo: The Walt Disney Company
In addition to Timothée Chalamet as Bob Dylan, the film stars Elle Fanning as his girlfriend of the time, Sylvie Russo (better known as Suze Rotolo), Monica Barbaro as singer Joan Baez, and Edward Norton as folk legend Pete Seeger.
A Complete Unknown doesn’t have an official release date yet, but James Mangold hinted it might hit theaters as early as December.
With information from Rolling Stone and Pitchfork