Benedict Cumberbatch Is Playing Pete Seeger In Bob Dylan Biopic A Complete Unknown
James Mangold's Bob Dylan movie has found its Pete Seeger: "Power of the Dog" star Benedict Cumberbatch is set to play the late folk legend in "A Complete Unknown," according to Deadline (via Rolling Stone). Mangold revealed the casting decision at the Cannes Film Festival this weekend, where his latest movie, "Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny," just premiered.
If you'd forgotten Mangold was making a Dylan movie, that might be because the first casting news came back in early 2020, when the film was titled "Going Electric." Timothée Chalamet is set to play the soulful musical star at a young age, with Mangold directing and Jay Cocks ("Gangs of New York") penning the script. Chalamet is also set to provide vocals for the performance, which isn't always a sure bet in musical biopics these days — but he'll be showing off his pipes in "Wonka" first.
Cumberbatch will play Seeger, a singer and activist who met Dylan at a formative age and reportedly helped usher him into the folk scene. In an interview with Collider, Mangold previously hinted that film will cover not just Dylan's rise as a musician, but his eventual outpacing of other established folk stars like "Where Have All The Flowers Gone?" singer Seeger.
The '60s folk scene is looking pretty star-studded
"It's such an amazing time in American culture and the story of a young, 19-year-old Bob Dylan coming to New York with like two dollars in his pocket," Mangold told Collider, noting that the musician was "embraced into the family of folk music in New York and then, of course, kind of outrunning them at a certain point as his star rises so beyond belief." Seeger is one of several folk stars set to be portrayed in the film, with Woody Guthrie and Joan Baez also involved in the story. Baez is set to be played by Monica Barbaro ("Top Gun: Maverick"), while Guthrie's casting hasn't been announced. Elle Fanning is also set to appear, though her role remains under wraps.
While Mangold's take on Indy has been receiving some mixed responses out of Cannes, "A Complete Unknown" is highly anticipated thanks in part to Mangold's successful musical biopic track record. In 2005, the filmmaker directed "Walk The Line," a drama about Johnny Cash that earned an Oscar for Reese Witherspoon and launched Joaquin Phoenix into a new level of stardom. If well-executed, Chalamet's Dylan could leave an equally strong impression on moviegoing audiences.
"A Complete Unknown," a Searchlight film, does not yet have a release date.