Filming has begun on the long-awaited Jean-Michel Basquiat biopic *Samo Lives* in New York City's East Village, specifically around Tompkins Square Park. Directed by Julius Onah and starring Kelvin Harrison Jr. as Basquiat, the film was first announced in January 2022 but faced delays. Grainy photos from local blog EV Grieve suggest an actor has been cast to play Andy Warhol, Basquiat's friend and collaborator. The production is shooting in the neighborhood where Basquiat once lived and worked, including his former studio at 57 Great Jones Street.
This biopic arrives nearly three decades after Julian Schnabel's 1996 film *Basquiat* and amid ongoing fascination with the artist's brief but explosive career. *Samo Lives* offers a fresh opportunity to explore Basquiat's legacy, his rise from graffiti artist to international star, and his deep ties to the East Village art scene. The film's production also highlights how Basquiat's former haunts, like the Great Jones studio now occupied by Angelina Jolie's Atelier Jolie, remain cultural landmarks.