Kid Cudi Will Star as Jean-Michel Basquiat in His Self-Written Film 'Jean'

Kid Cudi announced on social media that he will star as Jean-Michel Basquiat in "Jean," a film he wrote and will direct, with shooting set to begin in 2027. The musician posted images of himself in character and described the project as the culmination of years of interest in playing the late artist.

"For years people have asked me about playing Jean Michel Basquiat in a film," Cudi wrote. "But no project actually came to be. This year, I finally said fuck it, ima write it myself. Did a wardrobe test, got a wig made (this isnt the final just a rough, trust me we gon get it perfect). But I wanted to tease what we been cooking a bit."

How did Kid Cudi prepare to write the Basquiat film?

Cudi called the writing process a "challenge" but a "welcomed one." His preparation was extensive, he said, and reached beyond the archive into the circle of people who knew Basquiat personally.

• Deep research into the artist's life
• Reading books about Basquiat
• Conversations with people who knew him
• A wardrobe test and a wig, which he described as a rough early version

"A lot of research, books, talks with people that knew him," Cudi wrote. "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."

The statement positions "Jean" as both biography and personal tribute. Cudi frames Basquiat as a career-long inspiration and promises a telling that departs from earlier screen treatments of the artist.

Where does this fit in Kid Cudi's acting career?

Cudi has spent years building an acting portfolio alongside his music. He appeared as himself in "Bill & Ted Face the Music" and "House Party," and took on acting roles in Ti West's horror trilogy "X," "Pearl" and "MaXXXine."

The directing side of his career is accelerating. "Jean" will follow "Doe," his feature directorial debut, which began production in Los Angeles earlier this year. He is also attached to direct the horror thriller "Wrong Number," in which he will star opposite Barbie Ferreira.

By the time cameras roll on "Jean" in 2027, Cudi could plausibly arrive as a filmmaker with two directed features behind him rather than a first-time director. That trajectory matters for a project that carries the weight of Basquiat's legacy.

What does this change for Basquiat on screen?

Basquiat has drawn repeated film interest. Another recent project, "The Collaboration," directed by Kwame Kwei-Armah and adapted from a 2022 stage play, starred Paul Bettany as Andy Warhol and Jeremy Pop as Basquiat; that film currently has no release date. "Jean" now becomes the most concrete Basquiat project on the calendar, with a named star, writer, director and a 2027 start date attached. Whether Cudi's promised new angle on the artist's story satisfies the anticipation his announcement has generated will be the question facing the film as production approaches.