The CW’s Black Lightning gets a full season order
By Steve Lam
Black Lightning has been given a full season order by The CW.
After some wondering, fans got confirmation today that The CW has given Black Lightning a full season order. The series will star Cress Williams in the titular role, and the pilot will be directed by Salim Akil.
Created by Tony Isabella and Trevor Von Eeden, the character made his first appearance in Black Lightning #1 (April 1977). Jefferson Pierce is an Olympic decathlete and family man who returned home to Metropolis’s crime-ridden Suicide Slum to become a principal.
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After seeing a criminal organization called the 100 kill a promising student of his, Pierce dawned the Black Lightning costume and used his metahuman powers—of which he suppressed for years—to fight against them.
Black Lightning is currently in development from Mara Brock Akil, Salim, and Greg Berlanti—who is responsible for The CW’s current DC TV universe that’s comprised of Arrow, The Flash, DC’s Legends of Tomorrow, and Supergirl.
The series was originally slated for Fox with a pilot production commitment. However, the network later passed on the series due to too many existing dramas in that genre. The CW would later pick up the series with a pilot order.
Next: Get a first look at Black Lightning's costume
Berlanti and company currently have no plans to have the character or the series be part of the existing television universe. Well, that’s what they said about Supergirl. With that in mind, only time will tell.
As of this report, the first air date is unknown.