James Mangold ’99 to Direct Upcoming Bob Dylan Biopic for Searchlight Pictures

James Mangold ’99 will direct a new biopic chronicling the life of acclaimed singer-songwriter and pop culture icon Bob Dylan.

A Complete Unknown, which is slated to head into production later this summer in New York, will follow a young Dylan as he shakes up the music world in 1965, when he pivots to performing with an electric guitar for the first time. Timothée Chalamet (Little Women, Dune, Call Me By Your Name) will star as Dylan, and Elle Fanning (The Great, The Girl from Plainville, The Neon Demon) will play the role of Dylan’s early ’60s love interest, university student and artist Sylvie Russo. Bob Dylan is attached to the project as an executive producer.

Mangold discussed the period of time the film will be set in a conversation with Collider:

“It’s such an amazing time in American culture and the story of Bob—a young 19-year-old Bob Dylan coming to New York with like two dollars in his pocket and becoming a worldwide sensation within three years,” Mangold said. “First being embraced into the family of folk music in New York and kind of outrunning them at a certain point as his star rises so beyond belief. It’s such an interesting true story about such an interesting moment in the American scene, different characters from Woody Guthrie to Bob Dylan, to Pete Seeger to Joan Baez, all have a role to play in this movie.”

Pete Seeger will be played by Benedict Cumberbatch. Seeger played a key role in Dylan’s story as an early supporter of the then-rising star.

Mangold recently directed Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny, which had its world premiere at the 2023 Cannes Film Festival. On premiere night, Mangold told Deadline he was deep in preparation for A Complete Unknown, sharing his excitement that Chalamet will be performing his own singing as part of his portrayal of Dylan. In addition to directing the biopic, Mangold also managed revisions of the screenplay originally written by Jay Cocks (Gangs of New York) in addition to serving as one of the film’s producers.

“Searchlight has really been providing a home for me,” Mangold said. 

James Mangold got his start in film as an undergrad at CalArts, where he studied film and acting. After graduating, he worked for Disney as a screenwriter, earning writing credits on Oliver and Company. Magold recently directed the Academy Award winning Ford v Ferrari (2019), which starred Academy Award winning actors Matt Damon and Christian Bale. Mangold’s previous directing credits also include Walk the Line, 3:10 to Yuma, Knight and Day, Girl Interrupted, The Wolverine, and Logan. Other upcoming projects include the romantic drama Juliet and Crenshaw, an adaptation of the children’s book by Newbery-winning author Katherine Applegate as well as a new Buster Keaton biopic for 20th Century Studios.