Production has wrapped on director Julius Onah‘s “Samo Lives,” which sees actor Kelvin Harrison Jr. as iconic neo-expressionist artist Jean-Michel Basquiat, who died at a young age but made a massive impact on the art world in his short life and in the present, including a short-lived partnership with fellow artist/filmmaker Andy Warhol.
The anticipated biopic, according to Deadline, also boasts a wildly impressive supporting cast, including Oscar-winner Jeffrey Wright, known for “American Fiction” and “Highest 2 Lowest,” who previously portrayed the artist in the 1996 film “Basquiat,” helmed by Julian Schnabel.
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Others named in the big casting update for “Samo Lives” feature Danny Ramirez (“Top Gun: Maverick”), Dane DeHaan (“Oppenheimer”), Kathryn Newton (“Ant-Man & The Wasp: Quantumania”), Thomas Kretschmann (“King Kong”), Lukas Gage (“The White Lotus”), Chase Sui Wonders (The Studio), Lucy Fry (“Godfather of Harlem”), Yolonda Ross (The Chi), Priah Ferguson (“Stranger Things”), Phillip Johnson Richardson (Sharper), Michael Angelo Covino (“The Climb”), Samiya Allen-Graham (“Lodged”), and lastly Antony Starr (“The Boys”).
If you’re unaware or a tad confused, SAMO refers to his graffiti tag (also linked to a collaboration with fellow artist Al Diaz). Many graffiti artists use pseudonyms and nicknames to evade police and arrests for defacing properties. Eventually, he’d move from tagging walls and selling one-off pieces for pennies into high-end galleries, alongside schmoozing with other high-profile artists from all over the world.
Basquiat’s work was inspired by the street art of New York City, as there is a direct link between legendary NYC artists of the 1980s, such as Basquiat and Keith Haring, and modern political artists like Banksy, who also emerged from the world of graffiti. Sadly, like many of his generation, Basquiat died from a heroin overdose at the age of 27 in 1988. A tragic end to one of the most influential creatives who is automatically associated with the American art scene of the 1980s.
Onah co-wrote the script with his “Captain America: Brave New World” collaborator Peter Glanz. The producers on the pic consist of Onah, John Baker, Rob Feng, Eric Ro, as well as Macro Film Studios‘ James Lopez and Charles D. King. Harrison Jr., Charles Miller, and Ossetra Films‘ Sterling Brim and DC Wade are also on board as executive producers.
We’re still waiting on when and where “Samo Lives” will debut to audiences and critics alike, as a release date or festival screenings have yet to be determined. Certainly, it’ll be one of the upcoming biopics to keep an eye given everyone involved and the tantalizing subject matter.
