Bob Dylan biopic starring Timothée Chalamet: Everything to know
Dune actor Timotheé Chalamet is all set to play legendary singer-songwriter Bob Dylan on the big screen soon. Since the project was announced almost three years ago, fans have long waited for an update. Recently, director James Mangold provided a status update on the film and revealed that the biopic would start filming in August this year. Here are the other important details.
Why does this story matter?
Music sensation Dylan's biopic will mark Mangold's first music biopic since Walk the Line (2005)—a biopic on American country singer-songwriter Johnny Cash's life. A biopic on Dylan was long-awaited as his impact on the cultural landscape is immeasurable, and it was indeed necessary to capture his tremendous artistic evolution, the creative process behind his music, and the motivations that drove him to experiment.
Mangold confirmed Chalamet would be behind mic, too
In a recent interview with Collider, Mangold confirmed that Chalamet would do his own singing as Dylan, too, in the forthcoming much-awaited biopic. The project was announced back in January 2020, and at that time, it wasn't confirmed if the Bone and All actor would sing Dylan's songs. However, it was revealed that the actor started taking guitar lessons in preparation for the role.
When will filming of yet-to-be-titled project begin?
Mangold was attending the Star Wars Celebration event in London when he exclusively revealed to Collider that the filming of the currently untitled biopic will begin in August. It has been a long-gestating project for Mangold, with Chalamet attached to it for three years now. With this film, Mangold will return to the biopic genre after the massive success of Ford v Ferrari (2019).
Mangold picked out timeline that excites him most
When the filmmaker was asked about the part of the forthcoming biopic that excites him the most, Mangold pointed to when the 19-year-old Dylan came to New York with $2 in his pocket and became a worldwide sensation. He further stated, "Different characters from Woody Guthrie to Bob Dylan, to Pete Seeger to Joan Baez, all have a role to play in this movie."
Is 'Going Electric,' the title of the film?
As per a report by Deadline, the movie will showcase the era in which the singer-songwriter rose to fame and then went electric—changing folk music forever. Currently untitled, many reportedly called the film Going Electric, although there is no confirmation on the title yet. Earlier, Rolling Stone reported that the characters mentioned by Mangold are based on Elijah Wald's 2015 book Dylan Goes Electric.
Meanwhile, look at Chalamet's other projects
While preparing for Dylan's biopic, Chalamet is also focusing on other projects simultaneously. He has two films due for release this year, including Denis Villeneuve's Dune: Part Two, where he will be reprising his lead role as Paul Atreides and appear alongside Zendaya. Another is Wonka, a musical fantasy movie by Paul King. Filming for Dune 2 was completed in December 2022, before Christmas.
