Can Kid Cudi Play Basquiat? Kid Cudi Thinks So
Starring, written, and directed by Cudi, the upcoming ‘Jean’ biopic is a “love letter” to Basquiat, the 80s, and New York City.
Summary
Kid Cudi will play Jean-Michel Basquiat in an upcoming biopic, 'Jean,' which he also wrote and will direct.
The project marks the musician's further presence in both the film and art space, with several acting roles, an art exhibition, and two other directed films under his belt as of recent years
Production is set to start in 2027
Kid Cudi will play the late, great artist Jean-Michel Basquiat in Jean, an upcoming film he also wrote and directed.
The multi-hyphenate announced the project, signed “a Scott Mescudi vision,” in a recent Instagram post. It included an early film poster, a screenplay draft, and, of course, wardrobe test shots, which reveal Cudi’s complete Basquiat transformation.
Details around Jean are largely under wraps. Cudi, though, has said that it will be a “love letter” to Basquiat, the 80s, and New York City. “Jean has inspired me all throughout my career, and it will be the biggest honor to tell his story in a way we haven’t seen before.”
He described the process of writing the biopic “a challenge,” but one that was “welcomed.” As for the acting, the two, off the bat, bear a strong resemblance, a frequent point of discussion for fans way before Jean was announced. “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.”
In recent years, the rapper has added a few more creative notches to his belt. In January, Cudi, AKA Scotty Ramon, showed the world his painterly side in his first art exhibition at Paris’ Ruttkowski;68 this past January. His directorial debut, Doe, is set to roll out next year, and he’s already got another thriller with Barbie Ferreira in the works.
Jean arrives alongside several other Basquiat-focused films, including Jean-Michel, the first documentary approved by the artist’s estate, which premiered at the Tribeca Film Festival 2026, and Julius Onah’s forthcoming biopic, Samo Lives. If we’re talking films on the artist, Julian Schnabel’s 1996 Basquiat, Tamra Davis’s 2010 documentary The Radiant Child, and the cult classic Downtown 81, featuring the artist himself, are also worth a watch.
Cameras are set to roll on Jean in 2027. Stay tuned for more details.
