“A Complete Unknown,” the Bob Dylan biopic from James Mangold starts shooting in August.
The cast seems to have almost been rounded up: Timothée Chalamet has been already cast. We can now add Benedict Cumberbatch, Elle Fanning and Monica Barbaro as well. Nick Offerman has also been offered the role of producer/musician Alan Lomax.
Now, let me tackle the elephant in the room. If you’re going to be making a film based on Bob Dylan’s life then you should probably hire a top-notch filmmaker to do it justice.
James Mangold? Really?
Don’t get me wrong, Mangold has made a few strong movies in his career, notably “Ford v Ferrari” and “Logan,” but I don’t believe he’s the right man for the job here. What we’ll likely be getting from him is a safe, well-made film. Nothing more, nothing less. That’s not enough for Dylan.
I’m actually surprised that Dylan is allowing this film to go on. Martin Scorsese made the definitive documentary on the legendary musician in 2005, “No Direction Home,” and I understand why Dylan allowed that one to be greenlit, and even let himself extensively interviewed for the project.
What I’m basically trying to say is that Mangold is not good enough to tackle an artist as eccentric and unpredictable as Dylan. I would rather watch an artfully inventive tackling and not the next “Walk the Line.”