Timotheé Chalamet to play Bob Dylan in new biopic

Timotheé Chalamet will play Bob Dylan in an upcoming biopic from James Mangold, director of Ford v Ferrari and Walk the Line, confirmed by Searchlight Pictures to Deadline.

The film, currently under the working title Going Electric, tells the story of Dylan's polarising switch from an acoustic prodigy to electric rocker in the mid '60s. The script will reportedly focus on Dylan's controversial 1965 set at the Newport Folk Festival, his first electric performance met with outcries from the folk community. Dylan's choice to go electric has since been revered as an important turning point in popular music.

Chalamet has shot to fame in the past few years, most recently earning critical acclaim for his role in Little Women. There is no confirmed release or production date for Going Electric yet, but Chalamet and Mangold are expected to begin once Chalamet finishes a stint on the stage in London in 4,000 Miles in May. According to Deadline, he has already begun preparing for the role with guitar lessons.

Going Electric will be Mangold's second music biopic after 2005 Johnny Cash film Walk the Line. Dylan's longtime manager Jeff Rosen is set to produce the film and Dylan himself will also serve as executive producer.