Actor and filmmaker Stephan James is set to star in and produce a scripted limited series about famed New York City graffiti artist Jean-Michel Basquiat.

James and Shamier Anderson are developing the series via their Bay Mills Studios banner with Boat Rocker Studios. 

Set in 1980’s New York City, it will showcase the rise of Basquiat, from an obscure graffiti artist to a star neo-expressionist painter. It also explores Basquiat’s relationship with pop art icon Andy Warhol and his death from a heroin overdose in 1988.

Basquiat, whose untitled painting of a black skull with red and yellow rivulets sold for over $110M in 2017, has been in the news recently after the Orlando Museum of Art unveiled 25 paintings that had previously been hidden away, paintings that have had their legitimacy questioned.

Stephan James said, “Jean-Michel is an artist I have long revered, and someone who has greatly influenced my work over the years. To embody such a revolutionary, whose influence in the modern era of pop culture is simply immeasurable, will simply be one of the greatest honors of my career.”

“We’re grateful to be working with Shamier, Stephan, and the entire Bay Mills Studios team to tell the story of a visionary artist whose profound cultural influence only continues to grow with time,” added Steve Lescroart, President, Boat Rocker Studios, Scripted. “We know that audiences around the world will be captivated.”

Be sure to check out the upcoming series about Jean-Michel Basquiat and stay tuned for more hip-hop news.