Kid Cudi to Write, Direct and Star as Jean-Michel Basquiat in Biopic 'JEAN'
Rapper and artist Kid Cudi announced he will write, direct, and play the legendary painter Jean-Michel Basquiat in a self-described love letter to the artist and 1980s New York City.
Kid Cudi — born Scott Mescudi — stunned the entertainment world by announcing that he will write, direct, and star as Jean-Michel Basquiat in a new biopic titled JEAN. The announcement came with wardrobe-test photographs of Cudi wearing a wig styled after Basquiat's signature dreadlocked crown. Cudi revealed that for years fans and industry figures had floated his name for the role but no project materialised, so this summer he took matters into his own hands and wrote the script himself. The film is described as a love letter to Jean-Michel Basquiat, to 1980s New York City, and to the dreams that shaped both men's careers. Cudi undertook extensive research, reading books about Basquiat and speaking with people who knew the artist personally. Principal photography is scheduled to begin in 2027. Basquiat, who rose from the New York street-art scene under the tag SAMO, became one of the most celebrated painters of the twentieth century before his death at 27 in 1988. Cudi's announcement was met with widespread enthusiasm across music and film media, with many noting the personal and artistic parallels between the two New York figures.
