Reginald Hudlin To Helm ‘Black Cotton Star’ Graphic Novel Adaptation For ZQ Entertainment

By Mike Fleming

EXCLUSIVE: ZQ Entertainment has acquired rights to Black Cotton Star, a graphic novel that will be scripted by Deric Hughes & Benjamin Raab for Reginald Hudlin to direct. Hudlin will produce with Prime Universe’s Adrian Askarieh, and ZQ heads Ara Keshishian and Petr Jakl. Martin J Barab will be exec producer.

The scribes are co-executive producers of Legacies for The CW. They have also worked on Arrow, The Flash and Syfy’s Warehouse 13. They are separately developing the martial arts & fantasy comic Infinite Kung Fu with Kevin Tancharoen, DeKnight Productions and Brook Worley for IDW Entertainment and Hudlin.

The script’s development is being financed by ZQ, which among other projects is backing the George Clooney/Grant Heslov adaptation of John Grisham’s Calico Joe.

The graphic novel focuses on three African American soldiers in WWII who are dispatched on a suicide mission to retrieve the first ever American flag, stolen by a sadistic Nazi commander. Written by Yves Sente and illustrated by Steve Cuzor — they will be exec producers — the graphic novel was originally published by the Belgian publisher Dupuis, part of the French-Belgian Company Media Participations. The deal has been managed by Laurent Duvault from Mediatoon, their indoor agency. It is published in the U.S. by Pegasus Book and digitally by Europe Comics.

Hudlin is repped by CAA and and attorney Darrell Miller at Fox Rothchild; Hughes and Raab are repped by Verve, manager Peter Dealbert, and attorney Darren Trattner of Jackoway Tyerman. Askarieh was repped by attorney Peter Grossman of Lichter, Grossman; ZQ by Barab and and attorney Patrick Josten. Yves Sente, Steve Cuzor and Dupuis are repped by Mediatoon Laurent Duvault and attorney Marie Bonrepaux.