MACRO has released a first look at Kelvin Harrison Jr. as the late artist Jean-Michel Basquiat in the upcoming biopic.
The film, titled Samo Lives, is helmed by director and co-writer Julius Onah and offers, according to producers, a “rare glimpse into the singular world” of the street-art pioneer whose work continues to resonate decades after his untimely death.
Announced in early 2022, Samo Lives already stands out for its creative team. Onah, best known for the Sundance-acclaimed Luce, reunites here with Harrison (his previous lead actor) to bring Basquiat’s story to the screen for the first time under the leadership of a Black filmmaker.
Director Onah has spoken of Basquiat’s story as one that has “yet to be dramatized in the manner it deserves,” especially through the lens of the African Diaspora and the intersections of race, class, and creativity.
The film is described as “bold, artistically-driven,” charting Basquiat’s trajectory from graffiti tagger to celebrated Neo-expressionist painter and cultural icon.
The title itself, Samo Lives, draws on Basquiat’s original graffiti pseudonym SAMO, a self-styled signature used in the late 1970s as shorthand for “Same Old …” commentary on the commercial and social world around him.
New York City becomes a character in the re-creation of Basquiat’s trajectory, as production was filmed across the Big Apple and New Jersey, including New York’s East Village, with on-location scenes at Tompkins Square Park and surrounding blocks.
“After an unforgettable shoot across NYC and Jersey, Samo Lives is officially wrapped,” MACRO Studios posted on Instagram.
Harrison is joined by an ensemble including Jeffrey Wright (who previously portrayed Basquiat in 1996), Antony Starr, and others, layered within Basquiat’s orbit of artists, musicians, and collaborators.
Harrison is joined by an ensemble including Jeffrey Wright (who previously portrayed Basquiat in 1996), Antony Starr, and others, layered within Basquiat’s orbit of artists, musicians, and collaborators.
No details yet about the film’s release.
Photo Credit: Jon Pack
