Nobody made the Jean-Michel Basquiat movie Cudi kept being asked about — so he wrote ‘Jean’ himself.
By Becky Monroe — The Cinephile, CelebnMusic247
Kid Cudi got tired of waiting for Hollywood to cast him as Jean-Michel Basquiat — so he wrote the movie himself. The rapper and actor announced on Instagram on Wednesday, Oct. 21, that he will write, direct and star in Jean, a biopic of the iconic New York artist, per Music-News and People.
“For years people have asked me about playing Jean-Michel Basquiat in a film. But no project actually came to be,” Cudi wrote. “This year, I finally said f**k it, Ima write it myself. Did a wardrobe test, got a wig made. But I wanted to tease what we been cooking a bit. This one I’m so proud of and excited about.” The announcement carousel shows him in character in the wardrobe test — though he cautioned fans the wig is a rough version, not the final look.
Writing a real life proved its own challenge. “To write a film about someone who existed was a challenge, but it was a welcome one,” he wrote. “A lot of research, books, talks with people that knew him. This film will be a love letter to Jean, the ’80s and NY city.”
“Jean has inspired me all throughout my career, and it will be the biggest honour to tell his story in a way we haven’t seen before,” he added. “This one’s for all those dreamers out there.” Basquiat died in 1988 at the age of 27.
Per his announcement as reported by People and Rolling Stone, filming is set to begin in 2027. No studio or producers have been named in the reporting so far.
Jean lands on top of an already stacked directing slate. Cudi’s screen acting runs through Need for Speed, Two Night Stand, Entourage and Don’t Look Up; he makes his feature directorial debut with the drama Doe, which began production earlier this year and in which he also stars, and he is then set to direct the horror thriller Wrong Number, billed to star alongside Barbie Ferreira. He won’t be the first to play Basquiat on screen, either — Jeffrey Wright took the role in the 1996 film Basquiat.
The 247 Take — There is a version of this story where Cudi waits another decade for a studio to hand him the role. Instead he’s walking in with his own script, his own camera and a wardrobe test already done — which is, frankly, the most Basquiat way possible to make a Basquiat movie: nobody gave him a gallery either. Jean just became one of the most interesting films of 2027, and it hasn’t shot a frame.
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Sources: Music-News | People | Rolling Stone India | The A.V. Club
