Bob Dylan’s $140M Biopic Is Coming to HBO Max Next Week

by

Movies about musicians always draw a crowd, and 2024 saw one film really stand out. A Complete Unknown, with Timothée Chalamet playing a young Bob Dylan, became a major talking point, earning awards and capturing the public’s imagination.

James Mangold’s film, A Complete Unknown, originally premiered in theaters on Christmas 2024 and was first available to stream on Hulu. It was later removed from Hulu, and viewers could only rent or buy it—until now.

​​​​​​What Part Of Bob Dylan’s Life Does A Complete Unknown Depict?

I’ve always been captivated by Mangold’s incredible book about Bob Dylan. It really captures his journey to becoming a legend during the vibrant 1960s music scene in New York. What struck me most was how it detailed that pivotal moment – his switch to electric guitar. He’d already built such a devoted following with his folk songs, but that performance at the 1965 Newport Folk Festival was explosive! It divided his fans, of course, but ultimately, it revolutionized popular music as we knew it.

The film A Complete Unknown was well-received by critics, earning an 82% rating on Rotten Tomatoes. Timothée Chalamet’s portrayal of a young Bob Dylan was especially praised for its accuracy, capturing both his voice and characteristic movements. Chalamet even recorded several of Dylan’s iconic songs himself, including “Like a Rolling Stone,” “A Hard Rain’s A-Gonna Fall,” “Mr. Tambourine Man,” “Blowin’ in the Wind,” and “Girl from the North Country.”

In addition to Timothée Chalamet, the film featured excellent performances from its supporting cast, including Edward Norton, Elle Fanning, Monica Barbaro, and Boyd Holbrook, who played Bob’s friends, romantic partners, and colleagues.

A Complete Unknown Also Aced The Box Office

It’s difficult to market a film focused on just one significant moment in a singer’s life, rather than their whole life story. And while A Complete Unknown was more about understanding a famously private celebrity – someone who’d appeared in movies before – it still proved to be a hit, earning over $140 million globally on a $70 million budget.

The movie received 8 Academy Award nominations and stayed in the public eye for months thanks to a strong awards campaign. After becoming available on Hulu, it quickly became the most-watched title. Now, A Complete Unknown is expected to achieve similar popularity on HBO Max.

Despite not winning an Oscar for his role as Bob Dylan, Timothée Chalamet earned another chance at the award with the highly praised film Marty Supreme. While not a traditional biography, the movie was inspired by the life of Martin Reisman and received nine Oscar nominations, including one for Chalamet as Best Actor. Unfortunately, like his previous period piece, A Complete Unknown, it didn’t win any Oscars.

A Complete Unknown is heading to HBO Max on May 27.

Read More

2026-05-23 23:13