Kid Cudi announced Wednesday that he will write, direct and star as the groundbreaking artist Jean-Michel Basquiat in a new biopic titled Jean, with filming set to begin in 2027. The multi-hyphenate musician and actor shared the news on Instagram, revealing that after years of fans and industry figures suggesting he take on the role, no project ever materialized so he decided to create one himself.
“For years people have asked me about playing Jean Michel Basquiat in a film. But no project actually came to be. This year, I finally said fuck it, ima write it myself,” Cudi wrote in the post. He included early wardrobe and hair tests showing him transformed with a dreadlocked wig styled in Basquiat’s signature look, a pinstripe suit, and other period details.
He noted the wig is “not the final just a rough,” adding, “trust me we gon get it perfect.” One image captured him seated on a white couch holding a vintage video camera and cigarette, evoking the artist’s 1980s New York presence.
The Writing Process
Cudi described the writing process as a welcomed challenge. “To write a film about someone who existed was a challenge, but it was a welcomed one. A lot of research, books, talks with people that knew him,” he explained.
“This film will be a love letter to Jean, the 80s and NY city. 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. I know a lot of yall gon be like FINALLY hahaha I love it. This ones for all those dreamers out there”
Kid Cudi, Actor and Multi-hyphenate Musician
The announcement quickly circulated across entertainment outlets and social media, with many noting the long-discussed physical resemblance between the 42-year-old Cudi (born Scott Mescudi) and the late artist. Fans have previously pointed out similarities in features and presence, and some unofficial projects have even paired Cudi’s music with Basquiat imagery.
About Jean-Michel Basquiat
Jean-Michel Basquiat rose from the streets of New York in the late 1970s and early 1980s as a graffiti artist under the tag SAMO before exploding onto the contemporary art scene. His raw, expressive neo-expressionist paintings blended text, symbols, African motifs, and social commentary, earning him rapid fame and collaborations with figures like Andy Warhol.
Basquiat died of a heroin overdose in 1988 at age 27, leaving behind a body of work that continues to command record prices at auction and influence generations of artists, musicians and cultural figures.
Cudi’s project arrives as the latest cinematic attempt to capture Basquiat’s short but impactful life. The most prominent previous feature was Julian Schnabel’s 1996 film Basquiat, which starred Jeffrey Wright in a breakthrough performance as the artist alongside David Bowie as Warhol. That film received mixed reviews, with some critics arguing it reflected Schnabel’s own perspective as much as Basquiat’s.
A more recent stage-to-screen adaptation titled The Collaboration, focusing on the Warhol-Basquiat partnership and starring Jeremy Pope and Paul Bettany, has remained without a firm release date. Documentaries such as The Radiant Child and a recent Netflix project involving Basquiat’s family have also explored his legacy.
What sets Jean apart, according to Cudi and early reactions, is its personal origin and the fact that a Black artist from the hip-hop world is writing, directing and starring in the story. Cudi framed the film as an intimate tribute rather than a conventional biopic, emphasizing the energy of 1980s New York and Basquiat’s creative spirit.
“This film will be a love letter to Jean, the 80s and NY city,” he repeated in the announcement, underscoring the cultural moment that shaped both the artist and the city that still claims him.
The project fits into Cudi’s expanding work behind and in front of the camera. Known primarily for his influential albums under the Kid Cudi moniker and collaborations across music and fashion, he has steadily built an acting resume that includes roles in Ti West’s X, Pearl and MaXXXine, as well as appearances in Don’t Look Up, Bill & Ted Face the Music and others.
He has also moved into directing, with the feature Doe beginning production earlier and another project, the horror thriller Wrong Number opposite Barbie Ferreira, on his slate. Jean represents both a passion project and a significant step in his filmmaking ambitions.
Questions remain about the production’s full scope, including casting for supporting roles, financing, distribution and any involvement or approval from Basquiat’s estate. The artist’s sisters have been active in managing his legacy and recently participated in a family-backed documentary. Cudi’s post did not address the estate directly, leaving that aspect for future updates.
Production is scheduled to start in 2027, giving the team time to refine the look, expand research and assemble a full creative team. Cudi tagged several collaborators in the announcement, signaling early work already underway.
For many observers, the announcement carries a sense of inevitability. Cudi has long cited artistic influences that parallel Basquiat’s outsider-to-icon trajectory, and the visual tests released Wednesday showed a striking transformation that fans immediately embraced.
Public Reaction
Comments across platforms ranged from excitement about a fresh perspective to cautious notes about the difficulty of portraying such a complex, short life on screen.
Basquiat’s story has always resisted simple telling. His rapid ascent, struggles with fame, relationships within the art world, and tragic early death have been examined through multiple lenses-critical, personal and commercial.
Cudi’s decision to take full creative control suggests an effort to center the artist’s own voice and the vibrant, chaotic energy of the downtown scene that first embraced him. By calling the film a “love letter,” Cudi positions Jean less as a conventional rise-and-fall narrative and more as a celebration of creativity, resilience and the city that fueled both.
As cameras prepare to roll in 2027, the project already stands as a notable intersection of music, art and film. “This ones for all those dreamers out there,” he wrote an invitation that resonates with Basquiat’s own outsider beginnings and Cudi’s career-long appeal to those chasing unconventional paths.
The coming years will reveal how that vision translates to the screen, but the announcement itself has already reignited conversation about one of the most magnetic figures in modern American art.
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