According to Deadline, Emmy and Golden Globe nominee Elle Fanning has signed on to star opposite Timothée Chalamet and Monica Barbaro in Searchlight Pictures’ long-in-development Bob Dylan biopic A Complete Unknown. Production is expected to begin this summer in New York.
Fanning will portray the role of university student and artist Sylvie Russo, who is Dylan’s early ’60s love interest. This marks the Maleficent actress’ second collaboration with Chalamet after previously co-starring in Woody Allen’s A Rainy Day in New York.
Who’s Involved in the Bob Dylan Biopic?
A Complete Unknown (formerly titled as 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 will also see Dylan’s interaction with 1960s music legends which include Joan Baez and Pete Seeger. Searchlight Pictures 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, who is Dylan’s longtime manager, has also signed on as a producer with Mangold, Veritas Entertainment Group’s Bob Bookman, Alan Gasmer, and Peter Jaysen, Automatik’s Fred Berger, and The Picture Company’s Alex Heineman also set to produce.
Besides 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.