Kid Cudi To Star As Basquiat In Biopic He Will Also Write And Direct

(MENAFN- USA Art News) Rapper Scott Mescudi, known as Kid Cudi, has announced via Instagram that he is developing a biopic about the acclaimed New York artist Jean-Michel Basquiat. Titled JEAN, the film will be written and directed by Cudi, who will also portray the titular artist.

Cudi shared the first page of a script draft, dated August 25, 2026, indicating that filming is slated to commence in 2027. According to his post, Cudi has been encouraged for years to play Basquiat, but“no project actually came to be,” prompting him to write the script himself. He also shared a mock-up poster for the film, featuring a black and white photograph of himself as Basquiat, depicted in a suit and tie, smoking a cigarette, with a wig designed to mimic Basquiat's signature dreadlocks.“This isnt the final just a rough,” Cudi noted regarding the wig, adding,“trust me we gon get it perfect.” A slideshow of black and white images showing Cudi in an airy studio and walking past graffiti further presented him as a convincing Basquiat look-alike.

Cudi described the film as“a love letter to Jean, the 80s and NY city.” He further stated,“Jean has inspired me all through out my career, and it will be the biggest honor to tell his story in a way we haven't seen before.” This project enters a competitive landscape, as another Basquiat biopic, Samo Lives, began filming in the East Village last fall, starring Kelvin Harrison Jr. and directed by Julius Onah, though updates and a release date are scarce. Additionally, a film adaptation of Anthony McCarten's play The Collaboration, exploring Basquiat's relationship with Andy Warhol, is reportedly in development without a set release date.

Cudi's JEAN will also follow previous cinematic portrayals, including Julian Schnabel's 1996 biopic Basquiat, starring Jeffrey Wright, and Downtown 81, which featured Basquiat as a semi-fictional artist and was shot in 1981 but released in 2000. This will mark Cudi's third directorial effort, with two other films, Doe (about an unhoused man in Hollywood) and the horror film Wrong Number, also in the works, where he is set to write, direct, and star. In an Instagram story, Cudi emphasized the urgency of making the film now:“I'm not getting any younger, I'm getting a bit older, and I felt like if I was going to do it, I better do it now. So I'm really f-ing excited, I think you'll really f-ing love it. Super uplifting, super positive, inspiring. Get ready baby.”

Source: ARTnews

MENAFN22102026005694012507ID1111852361