The deadline confirmed Benedict Cumberbatch hero of A Complete UnknownJames Mangold’s upcoming biopic of musician Bob Dylan.
Reports surfaced that Cumberbatch would appear in the film earlier this year, but nothing concrete has been announced. In a report by Deadline at an afterparty during the 2023 Cannes Film Festival, it was learned that Cumberbatch will star in the film. with Timothée Chalamet and Elle Fanning.
According to the story, Cumberbatch will play the role of the iconic singer Pete Seeger. Seeger’s history as a songwriter is extensive, with the artist penning songs such as “Where Have All the Flowers Gone?”, “If I Had a Hammer (The Hammer Song)”, and “Turn! Turn! Turn! Turn! ! (For All Time)”.
In their history, Seeger was one of Bob Dylan’s earliest supporters.
Who else is in A Complete Unknown?
A Complete Unknown (formerly titled Going Electric) will be directed by James Mangold from a screenplay written by Jay Cocks with revisions by Mangold. It chronicles Bob Dylan’s rise in folk music and sudden transition to rock ‘n’ roll. The film also features Dylan’s interactions with 1960s music legends including Joan Baez and Pete Seeger. Searchlight Images also has the rights to the Pop Culture icon’s music.
The film is executive produced by Dylan along with Brian Kavanaugh-Jones and Andrew Rona. Jeff Rosen, Dylan’s longtime manager, also signed on as a producer for Mangold, Bob Bookman of Veritas Entertainment Group, Alan Gasmer, and Peter Jaysen, Fred Berger of Automatik, and Alex Heineman of The Picture Company.
Aside from the upcoming Bob Dylan biopic, Chalamet is also currently attached to lead two high-profile projects in the form of Legendary’s Dune: Part Two and Warner Bros.’ musical prequel Wonka.