Martin Scorsese is going back to the Bob Dylan well one more time. And sooner than you might think.
According to Variety, the legendary director is working on a new documentary (of sorts) titled “’Rolling Thunder Revue: A Bob Dylan Story by Martin Scorsese.” Best of all, this new film is scheduled to be released on Netflix sometime in 2019. That’s right, Netflix and Martin Scorsese are performing double-duty this year.
Details are slim about the project, but ‘Rolling Thunder Revue’ is a doc that we’ve had our eyes on for almost two years. Back in 2017, reports circulated that Scorsese was interested in tackling the titular Bob Dylan tour that covered the mid-’70s. What separated the Rolling Thunder Revue from other Dylan outings was the traveling caravan of writers, poets, musicians, and different artistic types that joined the legendary musician on the road.
And for as unique and special the Rolling Thunder Revue was, as a concert series, Scorsese is apparently bringing his own special flavor to the upcoming documentary.
Here’s how Netflix describes the film:
“’Rolling Thunder Revue: A Bob Dylan Story by Martin Scorsese’ captures the troubled spirit of America in 1975 and the joyous music that Dylan performed during the fall of that year. Part documentary, part concert film, part fever dream, ‘Rolling Thunder’ is a one of a kind experience, from master filmmaker Martin Scorsese.”
From that description, it sounds like the filmmaker has something special up his sleeve that makes ‘Rolling Thunder Revue’ something more than just your typical, run-of-the-mill concert film. What that means is anyone’s guess, but using the term “fever dream” sure does get the imagination running.
Obviously, this isn’t the first time that Scorsese and Dylan have teamed up for a film project. Back in 2005, the director helmed a documentary about the musician titled “No Direction Home,” which was critically-acclaimed and won the Peabody Award. Many consider this film the definitive Bob Dylan documentary. So, the bar is pretty high when these two men collaborate.
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While it hasn’t been confirmed, there are many guesses as to who (and what) might show up in ‘Rolling Thunder Revue.’ Considering the cast of characters that joined Dylan on the tour, which includes Joan Baez, Bob Neuwirth, Roger McGuinn, T Bone Burnett, Ramblin’ Jack Elliott, Ronee Blakley, Mick Ronson, Scarlet Rivera, Allen Ginsberg, Sam Shepard, Joni Mitchell, Ringo Starr, Patti Smith, Bette Midler, Kinky Friedman, Dennis Hopper, and Phil Ochs, there’s no telling just how star-studded the film could be. One thing is certain, per the report – Scorsese will have Bob Dylan as one of the subjects on camera for an interview, which seems to be obvious, but considering the musician’s reluctance for giving interviews, is nothing to just simply write off.
Also of note, there’s probably a strong possibility that the film will include footage from “Renaldo and Clara,” a quasi-concert doc/narrative and four-hour film directed by Dylan (co-written by Sam Shepard) which was created during his time on the Rolling Thunder Revue, but rarely seen since its 1978 limited release (though lots of bits are on YouTube). “No Direction Home” featured lots of footage from Dylan’s doc “Eat the Document” (1972) so a similar treatment should be expected.
Sadly, it doesn’t appear as if fans of Dylan and Scorsese will be able to see the film pop up on Netflix anytime soon. According to the report, an announcement of a premiere date is still “months away.”