A Complete Unknown: UK release date, cast and trailer for Bob Dylan biopic
Timothée Chalamet is stepping into the shoes of one of the most iconic cultural figures of the 20th century.
Any list of the most iconic and influential cultural figures of the 20th century would be incomplete without Bob Dylan – and so stepping into the legendary singer-songwriter's shoes is no easy task for any actor.
In the previous, rather experimental, 2007 biopic I'm Not There – written and directed by Todd Haynes – six different actors played various aspects of his persona, with Christian Bale, Cate Blanchett, Marcus Carl Franklin, Richard Gere, Heath Ledger and Ben Whishaw all starring.
But the altogether more conventional-looking A Complete Unknown will see just one actor taking on the role: Timothée Chalamet. We previously got a glimpse of the Dune and Call Me by Your Name star impressively mimicking Dylan's unmistakable voice in a teaser released in July, and now a longer trailer has given us a closer look.
This time around we hear Chalamet sing both Girl from the North Country and Like a Rolling Stone – highlighting the switch from acoustic to electric music which will be a big focus of the movie.
And the trailer also features plenty of shots of Dylan wandering Greenwich Village, writing lyrics on napkins and notebooks, interacting with other folk music icons including Edward Norton's Pete Seeger and Monica Barbaro's Joan Baez and crafting his somewhat mystical, unkownable persona. You can watch it further down this page.
The film is directed by Logan's James Mangold – who previously made the Johnny Cash biopic Walk the Line more than two decades ago – but when will it be arriving in UK cinemas? Read on for everything you need to know about A Complete Unknown.
A Complete Unknown UK release date
It's been confirmed that the film will be released in UK cinemas early in the new year – on Friday 17th January 2025, to be exact.
Audiences across the Atlantic will be able to see the film a little earlier, with a Christmas Day release having been confirmed in the States.
A Complete Unknown cast
Of course, Timothée Chalamet takes on the monumental role of Dylan himself, and he's joined in the cast by a host of other recognisable faces playing key members of the Greenwich Village folk music scene.
Edward Norton stars as pioneering folk musician – and early Dylan champion – Pete Seeger, while Monica Barbaro plays Joan Baez, Boyd Holbrook takes on the role of Johnny Cash and Scoot McNairy is Dylan's own songwriting idol Woody Guthrie.
Meanwhile, Elle Fanning has a key role as artist and Dylan's then-girlfriend Sylvie Russo, and there are also important parts for Dan Fogler as Dylan's manager Albert Grossman and PJ Byrne as another pivotal music manager of the era, Harold Leventhal.
Other actors included in the cast are Norbert Leo Butz, Will Harrison, Eriko Hatsune, Charlie Tahan, Ryan Harris Brown, and Eli Brown.
A Complete Unknown plot
Bob Dylan is one of the most revered songwriters and fascinating cultural figures in modern history, so there is no shortage of material to draw from for a film about his life.
A Complete Unknown will be specifically focusing on his rise to prominence as well as the moment – still relatively early in his career – when he made the transition from acoustic-only music to electric, a move which angered some of his hardcore fans in the folk movement of the time.
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It is based on Elijah Wald's 2013 book Dylan Goes Electric! and – as any fan of Dylan will know – its title is taken from a line in his seminal hit Like a Rolling Stone.
The official synopsis for the film reads: "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."
A Complete Unknown trailer
You can watch the full trailer – which arrived in October 2024 and gives us another look at Chalamet's singing – below:
A Complete Unknown will be released in UK cinemas on Friday 17th January 2024.
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Authors
Patrick Cremona is the Senior Film Writer at Radio Times, and looks after all the latest film releases both in cinemas and on streaming. He has been with the website since October 2019, and in that time has interviewed a host of big name stars and reviewed a diverse range of movies.
