See first on-set photos of Timothée Chalamet as Bob Dylan in ‘A Complete Unknown’
After a lengthy wait, production is finally underway on James Mangold’s A Complete Unknown, which details the early career of folk hero Bob Dylan. The first glimpses of Dylan – played by Timothée Chalamet – have now been shared on social media, leaving some fans sceptical about the film.
In the photos, circulated mainly on X, formerly Twitter, the Dune actor is seen carrying a battered guitar case with fingerless gloves and an outfit reminiscent of the album cover for Dylan’s eponymous 1962 album. The reason why the images have caused some worries among fans is that Chalamet does not look remotely like Bob Dylan; he looks like Hollywood star Timothée Chalamet in cosplay.
Of course, it is not essential for biopic stars to look exactly like the figures they are portraying; Austin Butler looks nothing like Elvis Presley, for instance. However, Chalamet certainly has a task ahead of him, portraying one of the most beloved and well-known songwriters of all time.
Adding to the challenge, Chalamet will reportedly be doing his own singing throughout the film, dedicating himself to capturing Dylan’s unique vocal style. Last year, Chalamet told GQ that he had been working with the team behind the 2022 biopic Elvis, in order to capture Dylan’s mannerisms and vocal style.
Originally titled Going Electric, Mangold’s film chronicles Dylan’s early days in New York, following in the footsteps of his heroes. Featuring portrayals of musical icons like Woody Guthrie, Joan Baez, and Johnny Cash, the film follows the rise of Bob Dylan, culminating in his performance at Newport Folk Festival in 1965, when he famously ‘went electric’.
The director has previously claimed the film is “not really a Bob Dylan biopic”, despite being a dramatisation of the real events surrounding Bob Dylan’s early years – which does sound remarkably like the description of a biopic. Reportedly, Dylan himself has given his stamp of approval to the film, with Mangold telling the Happy Sad Confused podcast that the folk hero personally annotated the script.
Searchlight Pictures, the film studio creating A Complete Unknown has not announced a release date for the film as of yet. Production was heavily delayed by last year’s WGA writer strikes, which lasted from May to September.
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