One of the most anticipated movies starring Timothée Chalamet that chronicles the rise of a folk legend is officially underway and will be filming throughout New Jersey this month in spots like Jersey City and Hoboken.
“A Complete Unknown” has begun it’s New Jersey production unit after shooting scenes in New York City earlier this year. The film, based on the rise of Bob Dylan during the 1960s, is being written and directed by James Mangold, who helmed the Oscar-winning film “Ford v Ferrari” and led last year’s “Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny.”
The production crew visited Jersey City last week to shoot some scenes inside White Mana Diner along Tonnelle Avenue. The spot, known for their slider hamburgers and casual service, is already decidedly retro and probably blended in just fine for the 60s-era biopic.
A Complete Unknown, which takes its title from a line in Dylan’s classic song “Like a Rolling Stone,” also shot scenes at the Miss America Diner on West Side and Culver Avenues earlier this month. The production shifted just north over the weekend and transformed a local Hoboken bar into a West Village flashback.
Moran’s, situated on 5th and Garden streets, acted as a stand-in for one of Dylan’s old haunts. The bar was made over to look like McAnn’s, a 1960s New York spot that the folk singer frequented during his rise to fame.
The roads along 5th Street were lined with vintage cars for the occasion, and a few lucky passersby might have even caught a glimpse of Chalamet strolling through nearby Church Square Park across the street.
Besides Chalamet, A Complete Unknown also stars Oscar nominee Edward Norton as folk singer Pete Seeger, Monica Barbaro as Joan Baez, Elle Fanning, and Nick Offerman. The production has been busy around the Garden State in recent weeks and will continue to shoot in New Jersey through June.
Per NorthJersey.com, the production recently shot scenes at the Count Basie Center for the Arts in Red Bank and Bahrs Landing last week.
The Philadelphia Inquirer reported earlier this month that Jersey Shore destination Cape May will act as a “stand in” for the 1965 Newport Folk Festival in the upcoming film. It was during that performance that Dylan infamously plugged in his guitar and “went electric” in a move that divided music fans at the time.
Bob Dylan, an Oscar winner in his own right who has won 10 Grammys over his long career, is executive producing the film. Searchlight Pictures, who are distributing the upcoming move, have not yet announced a release date.
