‘A Complete Unknown’ trailer: Timothée Chalamet channels Bob Dylan in James Mangold’s biopic

A Complete Unknown trailer reveals Timothée Chalamet's transformation into Bob Dylan, capturing the folk singer's early days in NYC.

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.

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.

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.

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.