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The Man in Black pays The Bard a very special visit in A Complete Unknown.
The latest trailer for James Mangold’s (Indiana Jones, Logan) upcoming Bob Dylan biopic doesn’t just feature Timothée Chalamet — the Dune star who has signed on to channel the iconic singer-songwriter — it also includes a broader cast of ‘60s musicians, who crossed paths with the artist on his meteoric rise to fame.
New footage sees Chalamet showing off his singing chops with a rendition of "Girl From the North Country,” as he arrives in New York from Minnesota. There, Dylan forms a connection with Sylvie Russo (Elle Fanning), impresses record producers, charms hundreds with his music, and incites a love triangle as he cozies up to fellow folk singer Joan Baez (played by Monica Barbaro).
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Searchlight Pictures
Along with Barbaro as Baez and more footage of Edward Norton as Pete Seeger, the trailer also unveils our first look at Boyd Holbrook as Johnny Cash, who offers some critical advice to the man who will eventually be dubbed “the voice of a generation.”
“I’m not sure they wanna hear what I wanna play, Johnny,” Chalamet’s Dylan worries aloud.
“I wanna hear it,” Cash says simply, adding, “Make some noise, Big D.”
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Mangold previously explored Cash’s own rise to fame in 2005’s Walk The Line, detailing his ascent and relationship with his muse and singing partner, June Carter. The film starred Joaquin Phoenix in the lead role, with Reese Witherspoon as his romantic foil.
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Searchlight Pictures
In July, Mangold told Rolling Stone that despite their similarities — musical biopics about American icons — he purposely approached the two movies very differently.
“I didn’t want to turn Bob Dylan into a simple character with a simple thing to unlock that then makes you go, ‘Ah, now I get him.’ I don’t think that’s possible, having gotten to know him,” Mangold said. “It’s a difference. Johnny Cash is defined by his upbringing, the loss of his brother, the shame he’s carried in life, and an addiction that was driven by the sorrows of his childhood. It lines up very clearly… None of that would be that easy with Bob.”
Referring to the 2024 film as a “strong ensemble piece,” he explained, “It’s certainly following Bob, but I’m much more interested in the wake that this person has left on others, as much as I’m interested in unpacking who he is in some kind of conventional movie-Freudian way. That’s why Elle’s character and Pete Seeger, Edward’s character, and Joan Baez, of course, and many others are more than just passing through in a kind of Hall of Presidents pageant. They’re significant players coming in and out of the movie.”
A Complete Unknown, which was written by Mangold and Jay Cocks, is set in the early 1960s and follows 19-year-old musician Bob Dylan at the start of his career all the way until his unforgettable rock performance at the Newport Folk Festival in 1965. The movie is out on Dec. 25.
You can watch the latest trailer for A Complete Unknown above.