Benedict Cumberbatch joins the A Complete Unknown Bob Dylan biopic cast as folk legend Pete Seeger

Doctor Strange and Sherlock actor Benedict Cumberbatch will now play prolific folk artist Pete Seeger in the upcoming Bob Dylan biopic, A Complete Unknown.

A large influence on the American folk music scene for over 70 years, Peter Seeger has continued to leave an impact on it even after his passing in 2014. A member of the Weavers and a notable social activist, he supported Bob Dylan early on in the folk and blues star's formative years.

Additionally, Seeger is credited with inviting Dylan to play at the 1965 Newport Music Festival, the same fateful festival where Dylan conducted his first electric performance. While met with dissent from the larger folk community, it marked a turning point in rock and pop music and will be part of the James Mangold directed production's focus.

Previously titled Dylan's Going Electric, A Complete Unknown will feature Little Women and Dune actor Timothée Chalamet as Bob Dylan. Already announced for the production are Monica Barbaro as Joan Baez, an American folk singer-songwriter with over 30 albums to her name, and Elle Fanning as Sylvie Russo.

The more recent announcement about Cumberbatch's involvement came via the Cannes Film Festival, at which Mangold's recent production Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny was having an early screening. The Ford v Ferrari and Walk The Line isn't just working as the biopic's director, co-writing the film's script with Jay Cocks. He's also acting as an executive producer as production takes off this summer in New York.