]Jeffrey Wright, Danny Ramirez, Yolonda Ross, Priah Ferguson, Phillip Johnson Richardson, and Samiya Allen-Graham are among 14 actors set to join Kelvin Harrison Jr. in the highly anticipated Jean-Michel Basquiat biopic Samo Lives.
The project, produced and financed by Fifth Season and Macro Film Studios, has officially wrapped production with a stacked ensemble. Character details are being kept under wraps, but Wright’s casting holds special significance — he previously portrayed Basquiat himself in Julian Schnabel’s 1996 drama Basquiat, marking his first leading film role.
Rounding out the newly announced cast are BAFTA nominee Dane DeHaan (Oppenheimer), Kathryn Newton (Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania), Thomas Kretschmann (King Kong), Lukas Gage (The White Lotus), Chase Sui Wonders (The Studio), Lucy Fry (Godfather of Harlem), Michael Angelo Covino (The Climb), and Antony Starr (The Boys).
Directed by Julius Onah (Luce, Captain America: Brave New World), Samo Lives explores Basquiat’s meteoric rise in New York City’s 1980s art scene — charting his journey as he navigates fame, identity, and legacy through the lens of his bold neo-expressionist vision.
Onah co-wrote the screenplay with his Captain America collaborator Peter Glanz and produced alongside John Baker, Rob Feng, and Eric Ro. Macro Film Studios’ James Lopez and Charles D. King also serve as producers, with executive producers including Harrison Jr., Charles Miller, and Ossetra Films’ Sterling Brim and DC Wade.
First announced in 2022, Samo Lives marks the first major Basquiat biopic directed by a Black filmmaker. The film celebrates the life and legacy of the New York-born, Haitian–Puerto Rican artist whose revolutionary street art and paintings helped define the 1980s Neo-expressionism movement.
Basquiat became the youngest artist ever to exhibit at the Whitney Biennial in 1983 at just 22 years old. Though his life was tragically cut short at age 27, his work continues to influence generations. In 2017, his painting Untitled sold for $110.5 million at Sotheby’s, becoming one of the most expensive pieces ever sold by an American artist.
“Samo Lives” reunites Onah and Harrison Jr. after their acclaimed collaboration on Luce, which earned nominations for Best Male Lead and Best Director at the 2020 Film Independent Spirit Awards.
Backed by Fifth Season and Macro Film Studios, Samo Lives promises an immersive, emotional tribute to one of the most influential artists of the modern era — capturing the brilliance, rebellion, and beauty that made Basquiat timeless.