Edward Norton to replace Benedict Cumberbatch as Pete Seeger in A Complete Unknown, the James Mangold-directed Bob Dylan film

James Mangold’s Bob Dylan film, A Complete Unknown, is switching bandmates as Edward Norton (Death to Smoochy, Fight Club) replaces Benedict Cumberbatch (The Imitation Game, Star Trek Into Darkness) as the American folk singer and social activist Pete Seeger. Cumberbatch must exit the project because of scheduling issues. The biography stars Timothée Chalamet (Wonka, Dune, Call Me By Your Name) as Bob Dylan, with Monica Barbaro (Top Gun: Maverick, Fubar) playing Joan Baez, Elle Fanning (The Neon Demon, Maleficent) as Sylvie Russo, Boyd Holbrook (Logan, Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny) as Johnny Cash, and Nick Offerman (The Last of Us, Parks and Recreation) as Alan Lomax.

James Mangold directs from a script written by Jay Cocks (Gangs of New York), with Mangold making revisions. A Complete Unknown focuses on a young Bob Dylan (Chalamet) who rocks the music world in 1965 by performing with an electric guitar for the first time, alerting people to a new sound for his signature brand. Meanwhile, Sylvie Russo (Fanning) enters the story as a university student, artist, and Dylan’s early-’60s love interest. Production for A Complete Unknown is gearing up for a New York production.

Pete Seeger is a legend in his own right. The singer, songwriter, and activist is known for hits like “Where Have All the Flowers Gone?,” “If I Had a Hammer,” “Kisses Sweeter Than Wine,” and more.

The film’s title takes inspiration from Dylan’s iconic song “Like a Rolling Stone.” According to reports, Chalamet will do his own singing in the biopic, begging the question: What does Chalamet’s Bob Dylan impression sound like? Dylan’s twang and whine are unique, and if Chalamet isn’t careful, he could venture into parody as he tries to emulate the rock and roll legend.

“It’s such an amazing time in American culture and the story of…you know, a 19-year-old Bob Dylan coming to New York with like two dollars in his pocket and becoming…a worldwide sensation within three years, first, being embraced…into the family of folk music in New York and then of course kind of outrunning them at a certain point as his star rises beyond belief,” Mangold said last year about Dylan’s storied roots. “It’s such an interesting true story and about such an interesting moment in the American scene.”

What do you think about Edward Norton replacing Benedict Cumberbatch as Pete Seeger for A Complete Unknown? Let us know in the comments section below.