AWA Studios and Oscar, Golden Globe, and Emmy-award nominated director Reginald Hudlin are teaming up to create a series of original comic book stories that will be simultaneously developed for graphic fiction, film, television and beyond. The partnership reunites Hudlin with AWA co-founder and Chief Creative Officer Axel Alonso, who previously worked together to elevate the groundbreaking Marvel Black Panther comic book series into the cultural zeitgeist. 

The partnership between Reginald Hudlin and AWA includes a slate of upcoming franchises, with the first title set for release in late 2023. Developed in close collaboration between AWA and Hudlin, the projects will be written and curated by Hudlin, with film and TV development to be co-produced by both parties. Each project will be centered around a bold, original story full of diverse characters.

Reginald Hudlin and Axel Alonso first teamed up during Hudlin’s six-year run writing Marvel’s groundbreaking comic series Black Panther, during which time Alonso was Editor-in-Chief of Marvel Comics. Hudlin’s run on the series helped elevate the character back into mainstream cultural relevance, ultimately inspiring the major global film franchise. The duo again worked together when Hudlin became the first Black creator to pick up the Spider-Man helm.

Last month, AWA announced that Hudlin has joined its newly formed Creative Council, a super team of visionaries who will help shape the overall evolution of AWA’s creator-driven mission and continually redefine the cutting edge of storytelling. The Council’s guidance will benefit AWA’s roster of writers and artists by helping unleash the full potential of their characters and stories, providing a diversity of contemporary storytelling perspectives and putting projects in the best position to be scaled across the entertainment ecosystem.

Reginald Hudlin has directed films including Sidney, House Party, Boomerang, Marshall, The Black Godfather, and Safety, and produced movies including Best Picture-nominated Django Unchained, as well as series including Phat Tuesday, Friday Night Vibes, The Boondocks, and the Black Panther animated series. It was recently announced that Hudlin will direct the holiday film Candy Cane Line starring Eddie Murphy for Prime Video. He also directed several upcoming documentaries for Apple TV+, including Sidney, honoring the life and legacy of actor and activist Sidney Poitier, which made its debut at the 2022 Toronto Film Festival, Number One on the Call Sheet: Black Leading Men in Hollywood, and Number One on the Call Sheet: Black Leading Women in Hollywood. Hudlin is the former President of Entertainment for BET Networks.