A Complete Unknownmarks a fantastic return to form for directorJames Mangold.The historical biopiccharts the early years of the career of music legend,Bob Dylan(Timothée Chalamet), showcasing his arrival in New York City, to his meteoric rise to fame, and his break from American folk music and embrace of rock and roll. The film, based on the bookDylan Goes Electric!, byElijah Wald, wondrously explores the controversy and conflict when Dylan "goes electric" with his music career. However, despiteA Complete Unknown'sexceptional quality, the film only covers a very brief period of Dylan's illustrious career. That suggests there is more of his epic life to uncover in movie form, meaning potential sequels. We're going to make the case for whyA Complete Unknownisone of the rare biopics where a sequel makes sense.

'A Complete Unknown' Leaves a Wealth of Material Left To Explore

A Complete Unknown begins with Dylan's arrival in New York City in 1961. The film covers roughly a four-to-five-year period, culminating in the events of the 1965 Newport Folk Festival, when Dylan played a controversial electric set with the Paul Butterfield Blues Band. The film showcases Dylan's dedication to his art and desire to broaden his horizons beyond that of a folk musician, not wanting to be stuck with a specific box and label. Dylan remained a prominent artist for the next several decades, so there is a great deal of his life yet to explore.

Dylan's career and life experience include many different phases and interesting events. The ending, with Dylan riding away from Newport, Rhode Island on his motorcycle, reminds of Dylan's mysterious 1966 motorcycle accident. The bizarre event took on a life of its own and became a hotly discussed and debated subject since there was no official record of the accident or a police report indicating that it took place. There are also conflicting stories about the accident. In the late 1970s, the Jewish-born Dylan would find Christianity and transition into the realm of Christian rock. After some decline in the 1980s, Dylan made a return to folk music in the 1990s, experiencing a significant career resurgence. Therefore, a heaping swath of material exists about the remainder of Dylan's life and music career that could be portrayed in multiple films, and the film's producer/star is ready to take up guitar and harmonica again.

Timothée Chalamet Is Down for a Trilogy of Bob Dylan Features

Chalamet delivers an amazing, understated, layered, and nuanced performance as the legendary Bob Dylan on the big screen. The actor captures the musician's vocal cadence and style, his mannerisms, and so much more. It's a deeply immersive performance, and Chalamet takes incredible command and ownership of the role. Chalamet, who doubled as the producer for A Complete Unknown, is completely open to the idea of returning to the role of Dylan for the big screen in the future, and he would even be interested in a cinematic Bob Dylan trilogy.

During a recent appearance on Nardwuar's The Human Serviette Presents podcast, Chalamet proposed that A Complete Unknown acts as part one of a trilogy, and he could work on parts two and three depending on the response to part one. The actor stated, "The movie covers 1961 to 1965 as that was the era. That was part one." He continued, "We could do part two and three. It depends how people react […] The film ends in 1965, but he had a motorcycle accident, and he needed a break." Chalamet's participation is crucial to putting together this potential trilogy as its star and producer. Since Chalamet is 29 years old, he's at the right age to portray the next phase of Dylan's career on the big screen.

Audiences Want More of Chalamet as Bob Dylan

As a Searchlight Pictures release, A Complete Unknown is performing relatively well at the box office, and the film has received a strong reception from both critics and audiences alike. Since its opening on Christmas, the film has grossed over $44 million at the domestic box office. Overall, the movie received strong reviews from critics with a 77% Certified Fresh rating on Rotten Tomatoes and a verified audience score of 96%. A Complete Unknown is sure to receive significant recognition during the award season, which will continue to raise the film's awareness as a prestige release. This supports Chalamet's hypothesis that people are positively reacting to the film. The potential is there to create more magic with Mangold and Chalamet depicting the life of Bob Dylan on the big screen. Hopefully, the same creative team and cast will remain on board to consider the idea soon.

Sequel or no sequel, A Complete Unknown is a terrific movie that showcases the life and career of one of rock and roll's most seminal artists. It's worth a look while still playing on the big screen.

A Complete Unknown is playing now in theaters in the U.S.

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