Timothee Chalamet to play Bob Dylan in new biopic

Timothee Chalamet is in talks to play Bob Dylan in the forthcoming biopic Going Electric, directed by James Mangold.

The film will follow the musician on his rise to fame as he becomes folk music’s most seminal icon, according to Deadline.

When Dylan traded his acoustic guitar for an amp and an electric guitar, it created a huge backlash from folk purists and marked his decision to embrace rock music.

Deadline reports that Chalamet is already taking guitar lessons in preparation for the role.

It has been a busy year for Chalamet, from starring roles in Greta Gerwig’s Little Women, which was largely snubbed in this year’s Bafta nominations, to Netflix’s historical drama The King. He’s also set to star in Dune with Rebecca Ferguson and the forthcoming Wes Anderson film The French Dispatch.

Director Mangold’s credits include Le Mans ‘66, which stars Matt Damon and Christian Bale and received rave reviews.

The last high-profile Dylan biopic was 2007’s I’m Not There, which starred six different actors playing various sides of Dylan’s public persona, including Christian Bale and Cate Blanchett.