The first glimpse of an upcoming Bob Dylan biopic shows star Timothée Chalamet's take on the storied folksinger — from his flop of curls to his pinched vocals on "A Hard Rains a-Gonna Fall."

The trailer for "A Complete Unknown," directed by James Mangold and capturing Dylan-gone-electric, dropped Wednesday morning. It opens with a familiar bent figure walking on a wet sidewalk on a dark New York City street. Then: "Oh, where have you been, my blue-eyed son," Chalamet sings, alone beneath a spotlight, the opening lines to one of his most popular songs.

Collider reported more than a year ago that Chalamet would do his own singing in the movie. There is already chatter about the young actor's chances at winning an Oscar.


The Searchlight Pictures film is set in the New York music scene in the early 1960s, when the young musician who was born in Duluth and raised in Hibbing, Minn., is beginning to top charts. Based on the book "Dylan Goes Electric!" by Elijah Wald, it ends with a defining performance at the Newport Folk Festival in 1965, according to the synopsis. This is the performance where Dylan traded in his acoustic set for amplified rock 'n' roll — a defining moment in his career.

According to IMDB, the cast also includes Elle Fanning as Sylvie Russo, seen in the trailer clutching Chalamet's arm in a recreation of "The Freewheelin' Bob Dylan" album cover. Monica Barbaro is Joan Baez, Edward Norton is Pete Seeger, Boyd Holbrook is Johnny Cash and Scoot McNairy is Woody Guthrie. Dylan is an executive producer on the biopic that, according to Rolling Stone, could be released as early as December in the United States.

As part of his research for the role, Chalamet visited northern Minnesota in January. He stopped in Duluth and ordered black drip coffee and a sandwich from a local coffee shop. He also made his way to Hibbing, Minn., where Dylan lived until after he graduated from high school. Chalamet met with drama students in the historic auditorium — where Dylan had one of his earliest public performances.