Kid Cudi to Direct, Star in Basquiat Biopic 'Jean' — SkimNews
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- Kid Cudi announced via Instagram on Wednesday that he will write, direct, and star in a biopic about Jean-Michel Basquiat titled "Jean," calling it "a love letter to Jean, the 80s and NY city"
- Cudi said filming is slated for 2027 and posted wardrobe-test images of himself as Basquiat, drawing implicit comparison to Jeffrey Wright's breakout performance in Julian Schnabel's 1996 film Basquiat
- Jean-Michel Basquiat died in 1988 at age 27, and his market has since skyrocketed — his 1982 Untitled sold for a then-record $110.5 million in 2017
- Cudi's previously announced sophomore directorial feature, the horror-thriller Wrong Number, remains in production in Los Angeles and co-stars Barbie Ferreira
Why it matters: Cudi stepping in to write and direct himself after years of failed attempts to cast him gives the project unusual creative continuity and consolidates his pivot from musician to filmmaker. The 2027 start date places his version on a distinct timeline from Kwame Kwei-Armah's still-unreleased The Collaboration. With Basquiat's 1982 Untitled having fetched $110.5 million in 2017, collectors and estates retain strong financial interest in any film that expands the artist's cultural reach.
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