Rapper Kid Cudi is set to play late artist Jean-Michel Basquiat in the up movie Jean.

Written and directed by Cudi himself, Jean is described to be a love letter to Basquiat, the 80’s and New York City. Cudi wrote about the film on his Instagram:

“For years people have asked me about playing Jean Michel Basquiat in a film. But no project actually came to be. This year, I finally said f**k 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. 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. I know a lot of y’all gon be like FINALLY hahaha l love it. This ones for all those dreamers out there.”

Basquiat was already the subject of a well-known film: Julian Schnabel's 1996 debut feature, Basquiat, starring Jreffrey Wright and David Bowie.

This new film is expected to start filming in 2027.