Hollywood is making many music biopics right now. In the last five years, movies about famous musical artists have become popular. We have seen movies about Elvis Presley, Bob Marley, Whitney Houston, and Amy Winehouse’s story called Back to Black.
More music biopics are coming soon. Some upcoming films will tell the stories of Michael Jackson, The Beatles, Madonna, The Bee Gees, and Robbie Williams.
One of the most exciting movies on this growing list is A Complete Unknown. This film stars Academy Award nominee Timothée Chalamet as the legendary singer-songwriter Bob Dylan.
Release Date for ‘A Complete Unknown’
A Complete Unknown will come out on Christmas Day 2025. Christmas is a busy time for movies, and this year will be no different. Other movies releasing on the same day as A Complete Unknown include Nosferatu, directed by Robert Eggers, Babygirl, led by Nicole Kidman, and The Fire Inside, written by Barry Jenkins.
Will ‘A Complete Unknown’ Be in Theaters?
Yes, A Complete Unknown will be shown in theaters when it premieres in December. At first, there were rumors that the biopic would go directly to Hulu. However, those rumors are not true. The movie will be available on the streaming service sometime in early 2025.
Is There a Trailer for ‘A Complete Unknown’?
Searchlight Pictures released the first teaser trailer for A Complete Unknown on July 24, 2024. The trailer starts with Pete Seeger introducing Bob Dylan on stage, and Dylan begins to sing “A Hard Rain’s A-Gonna Fall.”
The trailer shows a montage of Dylan’s relationships with Sylvie Russo (a fictional name for Suze Rotolo) and Joan Baez. The teaser ends with the melody of “Like a Rolling Stone.”
On October 8, 2024, the full trailer was released. It begins with Dylan meeting Sylvie Russo while the song “Girl from the North Country” plays.
The trailer shows Dylan becoming famous and his romantic relationship with Joan Baez. The last part of the trailer features “Like a Rolling Stone,” showing Dylan’s shift to playing the electric guitar and the conflicts this decision created in the music world.
Who Stars in ‘A Complete Unknown’?
Timothée Chalamet stars as Bob Dylan in A Complete Unknown. Chalamet has been part of this project since January 2020, and his popularity has continued to grow. He earned an Oscar nomination for Best Actor in Call Me By Your Name.
He has also appeared in popular movies like Lady Bird, Little Women, Don’t Look Up, Bones & All, The French Dispatch, Beautiful Boy, and The King. Chalamet is well-known for his roles as Paul Atreides in the Dune movies and in the lead role of Wonka.
Academy Award nominee Edward Norton plays Pete Seeger, a folk musician who significantly influenced Dylan’s music.
Norton has worked in the industry for over thirty years and has many credits to his name, including Fight Club, Primal Fear, American History X, Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance), The Incredible Hulk, Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery, Moonrise Kingdom, and The People vs. Larry Flynt. Benedict Cumberbatch was previously cast as Pete Seeger but had to leave the project due to scheduling issues.
Elle Fanning stars as Sylvie Russo, who is based on Dylan’s former partner, Suze Rotolo. Fanning is famous for her role as Catherine in the popular Hulu series The Great. Other notable projects include the Maleficent movies, Super 8, Somewhere, The Girl from Plainville, and 20th Century Women. She has also worked with Chalamet in A Rainy Day in New York.
Monica Barbaro plays Joan Baez, another important love interest in Dylan’s life. Barbaro began her career as Assistant State’s Attorney Anna Valdez in Chicago P.D. and Chicago Justice. Her role as Phoenix in the blockbuster Top Gun: Maverick took her career to new heights. She currently stars in the Netflix action-comedy series FUBAR alongside Arnold Schwarzenegger.
The cast also includes Boyd Holbrook as Johnny Cash, Norbert Leo Butz as Alan Lomax, Dan Fogler as Albert Grossman, Scoot McNairy as Woody Guthrie, P.J. Byrne as Harold Leventhal, Will Harrison as Bob Neuwirth, Eriko Hatsune as Toshi Seeger, and Charlie Tahan as Al Kooper.
What Is ‘A Complete Unknown’ About?
The official summary for A Complete Unknown from Searchlight Pictures says:
“New York, early 1960s. In a vibrant music scene and during cultural changes, a mysterious 19-year-old from Minnesota arrives in the West Village with his guitar and talent. He is set to change American music. As he builds his closest relationships during his rise to fame, he becomes restless with the folk movement.
He refuses to be defined and makes a choice that has cultural impacts worldwide. Timothée Chalamet stars and sings as Bob Dylan in James Mangold’s A COMPLETE UNKNOWN, the true story behind one of the most iconic singer-songwriters in history.”
The film will focus on Bob Dylan’s breakthrough as a folk artist who made a bold decision to play electric guitar at the 1965 Newport Folk Festival. Chalamet has confirmed that he will sing in the film, similar to his role in Wonka.
Other characters in the film hint at possible storylines. Norton’s role as Pete Seeger suggests a storyline about Seeger’s friendship with Dylan or Seeger’s disapproval of Dylan’s electric set at the festival. The character of Johnny Cash, played by Holbrook, is another significant figure in Dylan’s life.
Dylan and Cash met in 1964 and continued their friendship for years, even collaborating on the song “Girl From the North Country,” which remains popular today and was featured in the Oscar-winning movie Silver Linings Playbook.
The characters played by Fanning and Barbaro suggest several love interest storylines. If Fanning’s Sylvie Russo represents Suze Rotolo, viewers can expect themes of love and loss. Rotolo dated Dylan from 1961 to 1964, just before his rise to fame.
Although she married someone else later, her relationship with Dylan is forever remembered on the cover of his iconic album The Freewheelin’ Bob Dylan.
Who Is Making ‘A Complete Unknown’?
James Mangold, a talented director, is in charge of the film. He is experienced in directing music-centered movies, including Walk The Line, which tells the story of Johnny Cash.
This film helped Reese Witherspoon win an Academy Award for her portrayal of June Carter Cash. Like Walk The Line, Mangold’s films often earn Oscar nominations, including Girl, Interrupted, 3:10 to Yuma, Logan, and Ford v Ferrari, all of which have received nominations or won Oscars.
Mangold is also one of the producers of the film. Other producers include Fred Berger (known for La La Land), Alex Heineman (Non-Stop), Peter Jaysen and Bob Bookman (The Mosquito Coast), Alan Gasmer (Vikings), and Jeff Rosen. Timothée Chalamet also serves as a producer for the movie, marking his second time holding this role after Bones & All.
Alongside Mangold, Jay Cocks, known for his work on Gangs of New York, is co-writing the screenplay. Francois Audouy is the production designer for the film.
He has previously collaborated with Mangold on movies like Logan and Ford v Ferrari. His other credits include Jurassic World, Ghostbusters: Afterlife, and the recent film Air, directed by Ben Affleck.
When Did ‘A Complete Unknown’ Film?
In April 2023, Mangold told Collider that filming for A Complete Unknown would start in August 2023. However, due to the SAG-AFTRA and WGA strikes, filming was delayed.
Production finally began in March 2024, and photos from the set showed Chalamet portraying Dylan. The filming wrapped in early July 2024, and the teaser trailer was released shortly after.
