Just like every song must begin with a single note, every legendary artist’s story must begin with someone finding out just how talented they are. That’s the story director James Mangold will tell with A Complete Unknown, which will show how one of the most iconic and influential musicians ever began his climb to the top. The first trailer for A Complete Unknown introduces Timothée Chalamet as a young Bob Dylan on the precipice of true stardom.
This trailer makes clear something we already knew about A Complete Unknown. No matter how good this film may or may not be, it’s going to have a pretty amazing soundtrack. But there’s a lot more to this movie than just its incredible music and wig budget. It’s a story about someone going from anonymity to the upper stratosphere of fame and everything that comes with it. Here’s the film’s official synopsis from Searchlight Pictures:
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 and roll performance at the Newport Folk Festival in 1965.
Bob Dylan isn’t the only famous figure a big Hollywood star will play in the film. A Complete Unknown also features Elle Fanning as Sylvie Russo (who Dylan dated during this era), Edward Norton as Pete Seeger, Monica Barbaro as Joan Baez, Boyd Holbrook as Johnny Cash, Scoot McNairy as Woody Guthrie, Norbert Leo Butz as Alan Lomax, and Dan Fogler as manager Albert Grossman.
What Is the Release Date for A Complete Unknown?
Two-time Oscar nominee Jay Cocks (The Age of Innocence, Gangs of New York) co-wrote the script with Mangold. However, there’s one thing we don’t know about this story of a legendary career’s start just yet. Searchlight Pictures says it will arrive in theaters “soon.”
