5 MINUTES WITH: REGINALD HUDLIN

BLACK PANTHER #1 - SIGNED BY ARTIST JOHN ROMITA JR!

From the man himself: Reginald Hudlin has gone from East St. Louis to Harvard to Hollywood. He is an award-winning director, producer and writer who is often credited as being one of the pioneers of the modern black film movement. Hudlin has created some of the most profitable and influential films of his generation. In addition to continuing his film career, Hudlin has expanded into television and publishing.

Hudlin's first film, HOUSE PARTY, was based on a short film he directed while a student at Harvard University. The 1990 feature film version won the prestigious Filmmakers Trophy and the Best Cinematography Award at the Sundance Film Festival. The film received the Clarence Muse Youth Award and a New Visions, New Voices Award from the Black Filmmakers Hall of Fame.

HOUSE PARTY is one of the most profitable films of the decade. The film was also critically acclaimed, receiving glowing reviews from film critic Roger Ebert, The New York Times, Time, Newsweek and USA Today. The film launched a franchise, inspiring three sequels, a Saturday morning animated series and a comic book. When New Line Pictures successfully raised 100 million dollars in a public stock offering, HOUSE PARTY was the only film touted in their advertising campaign to the financial markets.

Hudlin then directed the Paramount Pictures romantic comedy BOOMERANG starring Eddie Murphy, Martin Lawrence, Halle Berry and Chris Rock. BOOMERANG earned $120 million worldwide and produced a double platinum soundtrack by LA Reid and Babyface. The soundtrack featured Boyz II Men's "End of The Road," one of the longest charting #1 singles in Billboard history, and the debut appearance of the multi-platinum songstress Toni Braxton.

During this period, Hudlin simultaneously wrote and executive produced BEBE'S KIDS, the first African American animated feature film. BEBE'S KIDS was based on the comic routines of the late Robin Harris, who played Pop in HOUSE PARTY.

In 1995 Hudlin created and co-executive produced COSMIC SLOP, a hip "Twilight Zone"-type anthology special for HBO. COSMIC SLOP garnered great reviews across the country and won two CableAce Awards; one for the SPACE TRADERS episode, which he directed, and one for Paula Jai Parker's performance in TANG.

Hudlin was then approached by 20th Century Fox to direct THE GREAT WHITE HYPE, a Ron Shelton-scripted boxing comedy starring Samuel L. Jackson, Jeff Goldblum, Damon Wayans, Jamie Foxx and Jon Lovitz.

Returning to Paramount, Hudlin directed THE LADIES MAN, which starred SATURDAY NIGHT LIVE comedian Tim Meadows as Leon Phelps, the world's greatest lover. THE LADIES MAN featured Will Farrell and Julianne Moore.

Hudlin's last film was SERVING SARA, a road comedy featuring "Friends" star Matthew Perry, Elizabeth Hurley and Cedric the Entertainer.

Hudlin is also an executive producer of THE BOONDOCKS, the animated series version of the award winning comic strip. The series will premiere on The Cartoon Network late 2005. Additionally, this spring will mark his fourth year producing and directing episodes of the award-winning BERNIE MAC SHOW on Fox.

In November 2004 Marvel Comics announced that Hudlin is writing a revival of THE BLACK PANTHER, the first black superhero. The on-going series is scheduled to debut for Black History Month in February 2005. Hudlin was also asked by Marvel Comics to write 12 issues of the popular SPIDERMAN series. Those issues will hit stores in April 2005.

A lifelong comic book fan, Hudlin is well known among the comics community. His passion for the art has lead him to collect more than 50,000 comic books, many of which are considered extremely rare.

Hudlin's first book is BIRTH OF A NATION, a comic novel he co-authored about his hometown of East St. Louis seceding from the United States. The Random House publication released in August 2004 has received glowing reviews in Time, Entertainment Weekly and Publisher's Weekly, among many others.

Hudlin is a member of many professional organizations, including the Motion Picture Academy. However, Hudlin is most proud of his association with the Pan-African Children's Fund and the Black Filmmaker Foundation, which organizes The Summit, an annual gathering of the top executives and producers of color in film and television.

A Hudlin lives in Los Angeles with his wife Chrisette and daughter Helena Grace and took a few minutes out of his busy schedule to talk comics with us

DF: HOW DID YOUR FILM WORK PREPARE YOU FOR COMICS WRITING?
REGINALD HUDLIN: Storytelling is storytelling. I've been able to entertain millions of audience members watching my films and television shows. the challenge is to bring some fraction of that audience to the comic book world, while pleasing the dedicated comic book fan. Based on reactions to the first two issues of Black Panther, that has been what's happening.

DF: HOW DID YOU HOOK UP WITH MARVEL COMICS?
REGINALD HUDLIN: Paul Power, a storyboard artist buddy of mine, introduced me to John Romita Jr one day, then Neal Adams the next. When I was in New York I met with Neal, who lobbed a call into Joe Quesada because Neal thought I should be writing comics.

I sat down with Joe and Axel Alonso, and we quickly found we were kindred spirits. We wanted to shake the status quo of comic books up. The Black Panther is the first step in that plan.

DF: WHAT'S THE HOOK OF BLACK PANTHER AND WHERE DOES HE FIT IN THE GRAND SCHEME OF MARVEL'S UNIVERSE?
REGINALD HUDLIN: When Axel pitched me the idea of relaunching the Panther, I had very specific ideas. He's one of my favorite characters, and I establish Wakanda as a world power, and Panther as a very tough, cunning guy with all kinds of cool toys. All that had been done beautifully in the Priest run of the book, and I wanted to build off that. Not picking up where he left off, but taking those ideas, and expanding on them while making the book accessible for the first time reader. not just of the Panther, but comics period.

DF: CAST THE BLACK PANTHER COMIC FOR THEIR (PRETEND) BIG SCREEN DEBUT. THE BUDGET IS UNLIMITED...
REGINALD HUDLIN: Uh uh, not going there. I'm focused on the comic. Doing this book is my respite from the politics of my day job.

DF: WHAT ARE YOU WORKING ON OUTSIDE OF COMICS?
REGINALD HUDLIN: I'm doing several pilots, including one with Chris Rock. I'm also still directing and producing on the BERNIE MAC SHOW and have a show on the Cartoon Network. I'm also writing another graphic novel for Random House.

DF: IF YOU COULD PICK UP ANY (OTHER) CHARACTER FROM MARVEL TO WRITE, WHO WOULD IT BE? HOW ABOUT AT DC?
REGINALD HUDLIN: Well, I'm writing MK Spider Man now, which is beyond my wildest dreams, quite frankly. As for DC, I have always been a fan of the Milestone line.

DF: WHO ARE YOUR INSPIRATIONS AS A WRITER WITHIN THE COMIC BOOK FIELD? OUTSIDE THE FIELD?
REGINALD HUDLIN: In the field, the list starts with Stan Lee, of course, but also Gardner Fox, Alan Moore, Bendis, Mark Millar, JMS, Dwayne McDuffie, Warren Ellis, Grant Morrison. it's a long list.

But my ultimate inspiration is George Clinton, the genius behind Parliament-Funkadelic. His layered, entertaining but profound music is my blueprint.

DF: WHAT ARE YOU READING THESE DAYS?
REGINALD HUDLIN: Loving WOLVERINE, SUPREME POWER, IRON MAN, ULTIMATES, AVENGERS, WALKING DEAD, SHAOLIN COWBOY, DOC FRANKENSTEIN..

DF: LISTENING TO?
REGINALD HUDLIN: Listening to Van Hunt, Amp Fiddler, Jill Scott, Snoop Dogg, De La Soul, Slum Village, old Bowie, Prince, Pearl Jam.

DF: WATCHING?
REGINALD HUDLIN: Deadwood

Be sure to check out the Black Panther and stay tuned to Df for another 5 Minutes Interview with one of YOUR favorite creators!