Jean-Michel Basquiat, ‘King Pleasure’ Documentary Reportedly In The Works

An upcoming documentary is in the works about Jean-Michel Basquiat and his artwork.

According to Deadline, the documentary King Pleasure will be produced by Boardwalk Pictures and Quinn Wilson, the former creative director for Lizzo. The project is slated to start in the late summer of 2023. The artist and his work are still celebrated amongst the elites.

“Jean-Michel Basquiat was one of the most electric artists of all time. He left behind a body of work that continues to inspire and capture the imagination of people from all walks of life,” said Jordan Wynn, president of Boardwalk Studios, in a written statement. “We are honored that Lisane and Jeanine and the rest of the Basquiat family have granted us such incredible access to their trove of materials, and we are excited to collaborate with Quinn, who has a dazzling vision for an intimate and emotional portrait of Jean-Michel Basquiat’s life.”

The family of the deceased artist is backing the project, and they are granting full access to archival material and original works of art. The documentary will feature a mash-up of never-before-seen footage from home movies, notebooks, photographs, animation, and select interviews.

Lisane Basquiat and Jeanine Heriveaux, Basquiat’s sisters, run the estate along with their stepmother, Nora Fitzpatrick. A show featuring his works, the Jean-Michel Basquiat: King Pleasure exhibition, was recently done in New York and Los Angeles and featured over 200 pieces of his work.

“Jean-Michel understood that art lives on beyond generations and that after his death, his art would continue to reveal new layers of meaning to our shared human experience,” Lisane Basquiat and Jeanine Heriveaux stated. “With so many false depictions and narratives surrounding the life of our brother, we’re thrilled to recenter the legacy of the Jean-Michel we knew and loved dearly. We have no doubt the Boardwalk team and impeccably talented Quinn Wilson will reclaim his story with a beautiful, intimate, and powerful new documentary.”

Boardwalk Studio’s Wynn, Andrew Fried, and Dane Lillegard will produce the documentary with Wilson and Ileen Gallagher. The executive producers are Jeanine Heriveaux, Lisane Basquiat, Anthony Konigbagbe, Katherine Oliver, Lindsay Firestone, James Cunningham, and Emi Stewart.