someone showed me a picture and i just laughed

It’s with a mixture of fear and incredulity that I discover that Cate Blanchett is to play none other than Bob Dylan in a film about his life and times. A suitably disturbing full-sized picture is can be seen here.

The film is called ‘I’m Not There‘ and it sounds rather odd, to say the least:

Formerly going by the title of “I’m Not There: Suppositions on a Film Concerning Dylan”, this is a film about the life of Bob Dylan. The film follows seven characters, each embodying a different aspect of Dylan’s life story and music. It’s the first biographical feature project to secure the approval of the pop culture icon. The film is about the life of Bob Dylan’s early days as a struggling folksinger, the rise to the forefront of the early-’60s folk scene, the controversial switch to rock, the motorcycle accident and the subsequent retreat from public view, and the latter-day de-emphasis of recording and concentration on the concert series known as the Never Ending Tour. Sounes somehow has uncovered some new information in that oft-scanned showbiz legend, mostly about Dylan’s childhood and his jealously guarded family life. Some of it actually provides further insight into his songs, particularly those about his wife, Sara. Sounes also blows the lid off Dylan’s heretofore unknown 1986 marriage to one of his backup singers. Each story expresses an aspect of Dylan’s mercurial personality and each story is to be filmed differently, in a style appropriate to its theme: Woody (Franklin) – an 11-year-old black boy, always on the run; Robbie – a womanising performer, always on the road; Jude (Blanchett) – the young androgynous rock star; John/Jack (Bale) – a folk idol who reinvents himself as an evangelist; Billy (Gere) – the famous outlaw, miraculously alive but growing old.

So, this film will feature a fictionalised 11 year old black boy representing a side of the life and personality of a middle-aged folk singer. Sounds straightforward enough. Incidentally, Dylan’s “heretofore unknown 1986 marriage to one of his backup singers” was actually heretofore known.

Apparently the film is sanctioned by Dylan and will feature his music. It also features Adrien Brody (from The Pianist) and, for some reason, David Cross (from Arrested Development). The director also directed the surprisingly good movie about glam rock, Velvet Goldmine.