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Kid Cudi has announced plans to star, write, and direct a film inspired by the late Jean-Michel Basquiat.
On Wednesday, October 21, the rapper, author, and actor shared photos of himself dressed as the New York-based painter along with a mock movie poster and a screenshot of a draft script. The film, which he calls Jean, will begin shooting in 2027. In his Instagram post, Cudi said he welcomed the challenge of writing a movie about the deceased artist.
"For years people have asked me about playing Jean-Michel Basquiat in a film," he wrote. "But no project actually came to be. This year, I finally said f**k it, ima write it myself."
"I wanted to tease what we been cooking a bit," he continued. "This one im so proud of and excited about. 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. 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."
Kid Cudi already made a solid name for himself in Hollywood before he began working on his latest film. He's starred in a few major movies, including Ti West’s X, Pearl, and MaXXXine. He's also appeared as himself in popular films like Bill & Ted Face the Music and House Party, as well as series like Paramount+'s "Knuckles" and HBO's "How to Make It in America." He's also set to make his directorial debut with the film Doe and will direct the upcoming horror thriller Wrong Number starring himself and Barbie Ferreira.
Kid Cudi's Jean does not have a release date yet.