After being delayed due to the strike, “A Complete Unknown,” the Bob Dylan biopic from James Mangold, starts shooting this coming February in Montreal and New York.
The cast seems to be locked: Timothée Chalamet, Benedict Cumberbatch, Elle Fanning, Boyd Holbrook, and Monica Barbaro. Nick Offerman has also been offered the role of producer/musician Alan Lomax.
Here’s the plot synopsis:
A COMPLETE UNKNOWN follows 19 year old Bob Dylan’s arrival to New York City in 1961 seeking to find his hero, an ailing Woody Guthrie. He is embraced by the New York folk scene (Guthrie, Pete Seeger, Joan Baez and others) who recognize his talent. He finds gigs in downtown clubs and soon becomes a sensation, under contract at Columbia Records. The film follows Dylan’s ascendance into a cultural phenomenon, his strong relationships in the folk music world and his ultimate transition away from folk music, forming a band, confusing his fans and disappointing the music community who first took him in.
Dylan actually approves of the film. Mangold revealed in Josh Horowitz’s Sad. Happy. Confused. podcast that Dylan personally annotated the script for ‘A Complete Unknown’ and has been very supportive of the film:
Mangold went on to say the film is almost “Altman-esque, an ensemble piece” that will involve a mosaic of artists such as Woody Guthrie, Joan Baez, Johnny Cash and Pete Seeger.
This should be released next year, potentially during the fall movie season, for awards contention.