Kelvin Harrison Jr. to play American artist Jean-Michel Basquiat in upcoming biopic Samo Lives

dailymail.co.uk:

Kelvin Harrison Jr. has been cast to play Jean-Michel Basquiat in a new biopic.The actor, 27, is set to portray the legendary street art pioneer and arist in an upcoming film about his life titled Samo Lives.Samo Lives will take viewers through the artist's life including his early years and his rise to prominence during the Neo-expressionism period of the early 1980s.

Taking on a new role:Kelvin Harrison Jr. will soon don his proverbial beret as he takes on the role of a well-known American artist (pictured 2019)The film will see Harrison reunite with director Julius Onah who he worked with on the thriller film Luce which was nominated for multiple awards at the 2020 Film Independent Spirit Awards.

Harrison's involvement with the film comes after a year of career triumphs for the Monster star.The Ender's Game actor will star opposite Peter Dinklage and Haley Bennett in the musical-period drama Cyrano.

He will also voice a young star in the upcoming The Lion King prequel. Beloved artist:The actor, 27, is set to portray Jean-Michel Basquiat in the upcoming biopic about his life titled Samo Lives (Basquiat pictured 1985) Passion project:The film will see Harrison reunite with director Julius Onah who he worked with on the thriller film Luce Onah opened up about why he wanted to make a film about Basquiat in a statement he posted to samolives.comincluding when he became acquainted with the artist's work.In it, he wrote, 'It was a gateway for a kid desperate to find artists he could see himself in.