A COMPLETE UNKNOWN Trailer (2024) Elle Fanning, Timothée Chalamet

A COMPLETE UNKNOWN Trailer (2024) Elle Fanning, Timothée Chalamet

A COMPLETE UNKNOWN Trailer (2024) Elle Fanning, Timothée Chalamet, Edward Norton, Drama Movie
© 2024 - Searchlight Pictures
We’ve got our first look at James Mangold’s A Complete Unknown, a musical biopic inspired by the life of Bob Dylan, with Timothée Chalamet suiting up as the iconic singer-songwriter.

Disney/Searchlight dropped the teaser trailer this morning. In the clip narrated by Edward Norton, we see Chalamet for the first time as Dylan. He walks the streets of New York City past his old haunts, including the Chelsea Hotel, before ending up on stage at an intimate gig where he performs “A Hard Rain’s A-Gonna Fall.” From the trailer, it appears Chalamet is singing live.

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Per the film’s official synopsis: Set in the influential New York music scene of the early ’60s, A Complete Unknown follows 19-year-old Minnesota musician Bob Dylan’s meteoric rise as a folk singer to concert halls and the top of the charts – his songs and mystique becoming a worldwide sensation – culminating in his groundbreaking electric rock ‘n’ roll performance at the Newport Folk Festival in 1965.

Elle Fanning and Monica Barbaro also stars in the pic written by Mangold and Jay Cocks. Producers include Range’s Fred Berger, The Picture Company’s Alex Heineman, Veritas Entertainment Group’s Peter Jaysen, Bob Bookman, Alan Gasmer, Dylan’s longtime rep Jeff Rosen, Chalamet and Mangold via his Turnpike Films. Michael Bederman, Brian Kavanaugh-Jones, and Andrew Rona are executive producers.

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Searchlight will release the pic in US cinemas in December. A release in the UK and Ireland will follow in January.

The highly anticipated trailer for A Complete Unknown has been released, showcasing Timothée Chalamet’s transformation into Bob Dylan. Directed by James Mangold, the biographical drama will hit theaters this December.

A Complete Unknown, written by Mangold and Jay Cocks, looks at the iconic folk singer’s early days in New York City. The film builds up to the pivotal moment at the 1965 Newport Folk Festival, where Dylan famously electrified his sound.

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The trailer features Chalamet navigating the streets of Manhattan, visiting Dylan’s old haunts like Cafe Wha? and Hotel Chelsea. It also highlights Chalamet’s performance of Dylan’s 1963 protest anthem, “A Hard Rain’s a-Gonna Fall.” A romantic subplot emerges, involving Dylan and characters played by Monica Barbaro, as Joan Baez, and Elle Fanning, as Sylvie Russo. Russo appears to be a fictionalized version of Suze Rotolo, Dylan’s then-girlfriend who graced the cover of The Freewheelin’ Bob Dylan.

The cast includes Edward Norton as Pete Seeger, Boyd Holbrook as Johnny Cash, P. J. Byrne as Harold Leventhal, Scoot McNairy as Woody Guthrie, Dan Fogler as Albert Grossman, and Will Harrison as Bob Neuwirth.

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The film, inspired by Elijah Wald’s 2015 book Dylan Goes Electric, was originally titled Going Electric. The new title, A Complete Unknown, is a nod to Dylan’s song “Like a Rolling Stone,” which symbolized a seismic shift in the music world.

Mangold has characterized the film’s Dylan as “a wanderer who comes in from Minnesota with a fresh name and a fresh outlook on life.” Dylan’s arrival in New York is depicted as a catalyst for change in the folk music scene. The real Bob Dylan, now 83, provided input on the script and engaged in multiple discussions with Mangold.

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Production began in March in New York and New Jersey, with paparazzi shots of Chalamet quickly circulating online. Produced by Searchlight Pictures, the film boasts an impressive production team, including Fred Berger, Alex Heineman, Peter Jaysen, Bob Bookman, Alan Gasmer, Jeff Rosen, Chalamet, and Mangold.
Off-kilter chocolatiers, desert messiahs, civil war-era heartthrobs, lone-wolf cannibals. Thus far, Timothée Chalamet’s career has been one of thrilling roles—and his latest, Bob Dylan in the James Mangold-directed A Complete Unknown, is no different. Here’s everything we know so far.

Is there a trailer for A Complete Unknown?
Yes! Watch the first teaser below.

What’s the plot of A Complete Unknown?
While the plot is still largely under wraps, we know that the film will follow a 19-year-old Dylan’s first arrival in New York City from Minnesota, as he seeks a career in music and soon skyrockets to worldwide fame. “It’s such an amazing time in American culture and the story of a young 19-year-old Bob Dylan coming to New York with, like, two dollars in his pocket and becoming a worldwide sensation within three years,” Mangold told Collider during a red-carpet interview in April 2023. “First being embraced into the family of folk music in New York, and kind of outrunning them at a certain point as his star rises so beyond belief.”

Chalamet on the set of A Complete Unknown. Photo: Getty Images
Is there a trailer for A Complete Unknown?
A trailer is quite far off. Despite A Complete Unknown being in development for nearly five years now—Chalamet’s casting was first announced in 2020, but filming was delayed first due to COVID, and then the SAG-AFTRA strikes—production has only just begun.

Who else is in the cast of A Complete Unknown?
Joining Chalamet will be Elle Fanning as Sylvie Russo, Dylan’s fictional girlfriend, inspired by the musician’s real-life former girlfriend and muse Suze Rotolo. Edward Norton will play Dylan’s fellow folk musician Pete Seeger, Monica Barbaro will play a young Joan Baez and Boyd Holbrook is rumoured to play Johnny Cash.

Is Timothée Chalamet recording his own vocals for A Complete Unknown?
He can act, he can dance and yes, he can sing—Chalamet confirmed in a December 2023 interview that 70% of the soundtrack had already been recorded in a Californian studio with Nick Baxter, the film’s music supervisor. In the same interview, the actor also revealed that Dylan’s manager, Jeff Rosen, sent Chalamet 12 hours of unreleased Bob Dylan music from 1959 to 1964. “This might earn the ire and wrath of a lot of Bob fans, rightfully,” Chalamet pre-warned.

Where’s A Complete Unknown being filmed?
According to local New Jersey news outlets, the film is recreating Woodstock, New York, in various parts of northern New Jersey.

When is A Complete Unknown being released?
The film will hit theaters this December, though an exact date is still to be confirmed.

How should I entertain myself until A Complete Unknown premieres?
Listen to Bob Dylan’s back catalogue, of course—and watch Todd Haynes’s experimental Bob Dylan biopic I’m Not There.
Come gather ’round, people, wherever you roam. The trailer for James Mangold‘s “A Complete Unknown” is here, along with the first official footage of Timothée Chalamet as Bob Dylan.

In theaters this December, the biographical drama, written by Mangold and Jay Cocks, follows the folk music legend’s early years in New York City, leading up to the Earth-shattering moment he strapped on an electric guitar during his 1965 Newport Folk Festival performance.

In the trailer, Chalamet walks the streets of Manhattan, passing Dylan’s favorite spots including Cafe Wha? and Hotel Chelsea. The actor sings a rousing rendition of Dylan’s 1963 protest song “A Hard Rain’s a-Gonna Fall.” And a love triangle begins to brew between Dylan and Monica Barbaro’s Joan Baez and Elle Fanning’s Sylvie Russo, who appears to be a fictionalized version of Dylan’s then-girlfriend Suze Rotolo, who appears on the album cover of “The Freewheelin’ Bob Dylan.”

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Rounding out the cast are Edward Norton as Pete Seeger, Boyd Holbrook as Johnny Cash, P. J. Byrne as Harold Leventhal, Scoot McNairy as Woody Guthrie, Dan Fogler as Albert Grossman and Will Harrison as Bob Neuwirth, among others.

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Based on Elijah Wald’s 2015 book “Dylan Goes Electric!” and originally titled “Going Electric,” “A Complete Unknown” borrows a phrase from Dylan’s “Like a Rolling Stone” — the plugged-in folk-rock anthem that changed everything.

Mangold has described the Dylan in his movie as “a wanderer who comes in from Minnesota with a fresh name and a fresh outlook on life.” His arrival in New York ignites an “upheaval in the folk community and what they thought was proper folk and illicit folk.” The real-life Dylan, who is 83, gave notes on the script and took multiple meetings with Mangold.

The film began production in March in New York and New Jersey, as paparazzi photos of Chalamet went viral on social media.

From Searchlight Pictures, “A Complete Unknown” is produced by Fred Berger, Alex Heineman, Peter Jaysen, Bob Bookman, Alan Gasmer, Jeff Rosen, Chalamet and Mangold.

Watch the trailer below.

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A Complete Unknown, Bob Dylan, James Mangold, Timothée Chalamet
A Complete Unknown, the highly anticipated biopic about Bob Dylan’s early years starring Timothée Chalamet, released its first trailer in July 2024, giving fans a glimpse of the long-awaited film.

Directed by Walk the Line’s James Mangold, the movie delves into Dylan's arrival in New York City at 19 and his rise to fame, culminating in his controversial electric set at the Newport Folk Festival in 1965.

Chalamet's performance has already generated buzz, with the first teaser showcasing the Oscar nominee singing Dylan’s "A Hard Rain's A-Gonna Fall," after he’s introduced by Pete Seeger (Edward Norton), a notable mentor and early supporter of the musician.

All About the Bob Dylan Biopic Starring Timothée Chalamet
The film also covers Dylan's relationships with key figures like Joan Baez, portrayed by Monica Barbaro and Elle Fanning as Sylvie Russo, a character roughly based on Dylan’s girlfriend in the early 1960s, Suze Rotolo. The ensemble cast will portray other real-life icons such as Johnny Cash (Boyd Holbrook) and Woody Guthrie (Scoot McNairy) who influenced Dylan's early career.

A Complete Unknown does not have an official release date but is set to hit theaters sometime in December 2024. In the meantime, here's everything to know about the cast and the real-life figures they portray.

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Timothée Chalamet as Bob Dylan
Timothee Chalamet as Bob Dylan in 'A Complete Unknown'. ; Bob Dylan.
Timothee Chalamet as Bob Dylan in 'A Complete Unknown'. ; Bob Dylan. SEARCHLIGHT PICTURES ; BETTMANN
Chalamet stars as Dylan, capturing the essence of the young musician's early days in N.Y.C.

In April 2023, Mangold confirmed to Collider that Chalamet wouldn’t only act, but also do his own singing for the role — which fans were given a brief preview of in the film’s first trailer. The actor’s vocal coach, Eric Vetro, told PEOPLE in December 2023 that viewers may be “shocked” by Chalamet’s performance in the upcoming biopic.

"You're going to think you're hearing Bob Dylan sing," Vetro said. "Once again, he just has this uncanny ability to not impersonate, but really breathe life into it. He's embodying Bob Dylan and what he was like at that age."

During an interview with MTV in December 2023, Chalamet said that his most listened to artist for that year was most likely Dylan. He added that the singer’s manager, Jeff Rosen, gave him 12 hours of unreleased music from 1959 to 1964 which, he added, “might earn the ire and wrath of a lot of Bob fans, rightfully.”

“I feel like I’m holding onto gold or something,” Chalamet said.

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Elle Fanning as Sylvie Russo
Elle Fanning and Timothee Chalamet are seen on location for 'A Complete Unknown' on June 11, 2024 in Hoboken, New Jersey. ; Bob Dylan and Suze Rotolo in September 1961 in New York City.
Elle Fanning and Timothee Chalamet are seen on location for 'A Complete Unknown' on June 11, 2024 in Hoboken, New Jersey. ; Bob Dylan and Suze Rotolo in September 1961 in New York City. GOTHAM/GC IMAGES ; MICHAEL OCHS ARCHIVES/GETTY
Fanning stars as Sylvie Russo, a character based on the real-life Suze Rotolo, Dylan's girlfriend and muse during the early 1960s.

Rotolo, who died in 2011, is famously known as the girl on the cover of Dylan's album The Freewheelin' Bob Dylan. Their relationship lasted from 1961 to 1964 and had a profound influence on Dylan's songwriting. In an interview with Glamour U.K. in July 2024, Fanning spoke about the depth of Rotolo’s relationship with Dylan.

“She was an incredible woman, reading her memoir was really interesting, and just aspects of their relationship,” Fanning said. “I mean, she really was his first love.”

In an interview with Rolling Stone in July 2024, Mangold expanded on why Rotolo’s character is loosely fictionalized while the others are direct portrayals, noting that, unlike the majority of individuals in Dylan’s early career, Rotolo was “just a real person.”

“Everyone else is up for the gauntlet and has been in that game a long time,” the director said. “And there was just a feeling for Bob of not subjecting her to that.”

He added that while her character is not an exact portrayal of Rotolo, Fanning captures her essence and impact on Dylan’s life in the early 1960s.

“Certainly the character Elle plays is that energy. Someone who comes into his life, who is an artist herself, who is politically active, who ends up moving in with him and being incredibly important to his awakening to some of these issues at play,” Mangold said.

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Monica Barbaro as Joan Baez
Monica Barbaro is seen on the set of the "A Complete Unknown" on April 26, 2024. ; Joan Baez in London, England on December 16, 1971.
Monica Barbaro is seen on the set of the "A Complete Unknown" on April 26, 2024. ; Joan Baez in London, England on December 16, 1971. JASON HOWARD/BAUER-GRIFFIN/GC IMAGES ; TPLP/GETTY
Barbaro takes on the role of Joan Baez, the renowned folk singer and activist who played a significant role in Dylan's early career as she introduced the musician to her audience in the early 1960s.

Baez and Dylan's relationship was both professional and personal, with their romantic ties ultimately coming to an end in 1965. In the 2023 documentary Joan Baez: I Am A Noise, the iconic singer said that Dylan “broke [her] heart.”

Barbaro was spotted in her Baez attire and clutching a guitar case while filming in N.Y.C. in March 2024.

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Edward Norton as Pete Seeger
Edward Norton is seen on the set of "A Complete Unknown" on March 24, 2024 in New York City. ; Pete Seeger, circa 1960.
Edward Norton is seen on the set of "A Complete Unknown" on March 24, 2024 in New York City. ; Pete Seeger, circa 1960. IGNAT/BAUER-GRIFFIN/GC IMAGES ; GEORGE PICKOW/MICHAEL OCHS ARCHIVES/GETTY
Norton, known for his iconic roles in films like Fight Club and American History X, will assume the role of Pete Seeger, the legendary folk singer and social activist who was an early supporter of Dylan.

Seeger, who was a prominent figure in the American folk music revival at the time, encouraged Dylan in the preliminary stages of his career. As Dylan moved towards a more electric and rock-influenced sound, diverging from Seeger's traditional folk roots, the pair’s relationship became subject of various rumors suggesting that Seeger disapproved — which he has refuted.

“Bob! Someone just told me that you too think I didn’t like your going electric in 1965,” Seeger wrote in a letter to Dylan in 1990, per Far Out Magazine. “I’ve denied that so many times.”

In A Complete Unknown, Norton's portrayal of Seeger will bring forward his mentorship of Dylan and the controversial moment when the musician shocked the audience at the Newport Folk Festival in 1965 by performing with an electric guitar.

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Boyd Holbrook as Johnny Cash
Boyd Holbrook attends the Season 2 premiere of Netflix's "Narcos" on August 24, 2016 in Hollywood, California. ; Johnny Cash on set of 'The Johnny Cash Show'.
Boyd Holbrook attends the Season 2 premiere of Netflix's "Narcos" on August 24, 2016 in Hollywood, California. ; Johnny Cash on set of 'The Johnny Cash Show'. ALBERTO E. RODRIGUEZ/GETTY ; ABC PHOTO ARCHIVES/DISNEY GENERAL ENTERTAINMENT CONTENT/GETTY
Boyd Holbrook stars as Johnny Cash, the iconic country singer and close friend of Dylan.

Cash and Dylan shared a deep friendship and mutual respect for each other's music. They collaborated on Dylan's album Nashville Skyline and remained close friends for over 40 years. Cash was the one to initiate their friendship, reaching out to Dylan to extend his appreciation of his artistry. In his memoir, Cash: The Autobiography, the musician reflected on their friendship origin story.

“I wrote Bob a letter telling him how much of a fan I was,” Cash penned. “He wrote back almost immediately, saying he’d been following my music since ‘I Walk the Line,’ and so we began a correspondence.”

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Scoot McNairy as Woody Guthrie
Scoot McNairy attends the premiere of Warner Bros. Pictures' "Our Brand Is Crisis" on October 26, 2015 in Hollywood, California. ; Woody Guthrie on "Back Where I Come From".
Scoot McNairy attends the premiere of Warner Bros. Pictures' "Our Brand Is Crisis" on October 26, 2015 in Hollywood, California. ; Woody Guthrie on "Back Where I Come From". TIBRINA HOBSON/GETTY ; CBS/GETTY
Scoot McNairy plays Woody Guthrie, the legendary folk singer who greatly influenced Dylan.

Guthrie's music and activism were a significant inspiration for Dylan, who idolized him and tracked him down at a hospital in New Jersey soon after moving to New York in 1961.

Dylan’s admiration for Guthrie is well documented. He praised the artist throughout his career, dedicated songs to him and wrote the poem “Last Thoughts on Woody Guthrie” in 1963, as the musician was dying of Huntington’s disease.

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Dan Fogler as Albert Grossman
Dan Fogler attends "Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore" World Premiere on March 29, 2022 in London, England. ; Albert Grossman in New York City in 1967.
Dan Fogler attends "Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore" World Premiere on March 29, 2022 in London, England. ; Albert Grossman in New York City in 1967. MIKE MARSLAND/WIREIMAGE ; JOHN BYRNE COOKE ESTATE/GETTY
Dan Fogler stars as Albert Grossman, Dylan's influential and controversial manager.