May 15, 2024
SIPA USA/SIPA USA
'A Complete Unknown,' starring Timothée Chalamet as Bob Dylan, has been filming in New York City and New Jersey in recent months. This week, the actor was spotted filming scenes in Cape May. Above, Chalamet as Dylan in Manhattan in March.
Cape May was transformed into a movie set this week, as production for "A Complete Unknown" took over the shore town.
The film tracks Bob Dylan's meteoric rise, with Oscar nominee Timothée Chalamet starring as the legendary singer-songwriter. Chalamet has been spotted filming in Cape May the past few days along with co-stars Elle Fanning and Edward Norton. Production was scheduled to take place there from Sunday, May 12, through Thursday, May 16.
RELATED: Timothée Chalamet's Bob Dylan movie plans to film in Cape May next month
Cape May is reportedly the location for scenes depicting the 1965 Newport Folk Festival, which was the first time Dylan played an electric guitar onstage, angering some fans over his switch from acoustic folk to rock-and-roll. That festival was also the first time he performed “Like a Rolling Stone” live, a song from which the upcoming biopic gets its title.
Photos posted to Instagram by Coffee Tyme, which is in Cape May's outdoor Washington Street Mall, show a sign hanging over the street that reads "Newport Folk Festival '65."
There are also photos of Chalamet perched on a motorcycle in a brown suede jacket and jeans, with Fanning — who plays a character inspired by Dylan’s former girlfriend, artist Suze Rotolo — sitting behind him. Norton, who plays fellow folk singer Pete Seeger, was also photographed by Coffee Tyme staff, who said he's a "nice guy and he likes to surf."
Other photos show historic cars lining the streets and new signs outside of businesses that make them look straight out of the '60s.
Vídeo de Timothée Chalamet com Elle Fanning ontem (13/05) durante as filmagens de “A Complete Unknown”, em Cape May, Nova Jersey.
— Timothée Chalamet Brasil (@ChalametBRA) May 14, 2024
juliettereilly via Instagram Stories pic.twitter.com/I3RUtLOChq
more photos of timothée chalamet as bob dylan filming ‘a complete unknown’ in cape may, new jersey, today.
— lisan al-gaib (@t_chlmts) May 14, 2024
(via shotbycarlyp on insta stories.) pic.twitter.com/LNp9aWyxWp
Timothée Chalamet and Elle Fanning filming ‘A Complete Unknown’ today in Cape May, New Jersey.
— Timothée Chalamet Updates (@timotheeupdates) May 13, 2024
via lifestylejessica pic.twitter.com/7rTxyG2W2A
Video of Timothée Chalamet filming ‘A Complete Unknown’ recently in Cape May, New Jersey. pic.twitter.com/QQ8DUIvflp
— Timothée Chalamet Updates (@timotheeupdates) May 13, 2024
A post in the Facebook group Cape May Live showed that the Victorian Motel at the end of the Washington Street Mall had been transformed with a sign reading "Viking Motel." Dylan was photographed outside the Viking Hotel in Newport in July 1964, around the time when he performed at the Newport Folk Festival a year before his formative performance.
New York casting agency Grant Wilfley Casting posted a casting call in March looking for "Cape May locals" to work as extras in a feature film shooting in Cape May from May 12-16. According to the post, the extras had to be OK with wearing period-appropriate haircuts and facial hair, working around smoke and have no allergies to wool. Photos from the Cape May set showed the extras in '60s garb.
Along with the cast and crew, fans have also descended upon Cape May to check out the scene and have brought a boost to local businesses, which usually see a quiet period around Mother's Day, according to the Press of Atlantic City.
"A Complete Unknown" began filming in New York City, where Chalamet was seen in costume in downtown Manhattan in March. The movie is scheduled to continue filming in New Jersey through June, hitting locations in Hudson, Passaic, Essex and Cape May counties.
Along with Chalamet, Fanning and Norton, the cast of "A Complete Unknown" also includes Monica Barbaro as Joan Baez, the folk singer who had a relationship with Dylan. James Mangold, who directed the Johnny Cash biopic "Walk the Line," is directing the Searchlight Pictures film, which he co-wrote alongside Jay Cocks ("Gangs of New York"). Chalamet and Dylan are producers on the film. A release date has not yet been announced.
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