Like a rolling stone, James Mangold is moving from one biopic to another.
After tackling the world of racing in Ford v Ferrari, the director is teaming with Timothee Chalamet for an untitled musical biopic centering on Bob Dylan.
The Fox Searchlight feature, based on the book Dylan Goes Electric by Elijah Wald, will track the legendary singer-songwriter’s switch from folk to rock music. Jay Cocks penned the screenplay.
Dylan, who will executive produce, is working on the film with Mangold and Fox Searchlight, which has secured music rights.
Dylan’s longtime manager Jeff Rosen will produce with Mangold, Veritas Entertainment Group’s Bob Bookman, Alan Gasmer and Peter Jaysen, as well as Automatik’s Fred Berger and The Picture Company’s Alex Heineman. Brian Kavanaugh-Jones and Andrew Rona will exec produce.
Chalamet is currently in theaters with Greta Gerwig’s Little Women and is set for Denis Villeneuve’s Dune remake and Wes Anderson’s The French Dispatch. He is repped by UTA and Ginsburg Daniels.
Mangold, who is repped by WME, is currently in theaters with the Christian Bale and Matt Damon-fronted racing movie Ford v Ferrari, which has taken in $110 million at the domestic box office to date.
Fox Searchlight’s Dylan movie is the latest in a line of studio biopics about music icons. Fox’s Bohemian Rhapsody earned over $900 million at the global box office, with star Rami Malek receiving the Oscar for his performance as frontman Freddie Mercury, while Taron Egerton on Sunday earned a Golden Globe for his role as Elton John in Paramount’s Rocketman.
It also was announced in November that a movie about the life and career of Michael Jackson is in the works from Bohemian Rhapsody producer Graham King and his GK Films. A studio is not yet attached to the project.
