The CW kicked off its DC Comics shared television universe in 2012 with Arrow, following the character of Oliver Queen (Stephen Amell) as he became the comic book superhero known as the Green Arrow. The show has since acted as a springboard for two spinoffs, The Flash and Legends of Tomorrow. More recently, The CW welcomed CBS-transplant Supergirl to the network’s DCTV multiverse, the fourth DC-based superhero series to join the lineup - and the shared universe’s annual crossover event. The CW has constructed a massive comic book shared universe that is shepherded by executive producer Greg Berlanti, who had a hand in creating all four series.
Berlanti’s newest DC Comics project is Black Lightning, which was originally put into development at Fox. But, a recent report claimed the series would be moving from Fox to join Berlanti’s other DC superhero series on The CW. Now, that report has been confirmed.
The Wrap is reporting Black Lightning has been officially ordered to pilot by The CW. The series is being written by Mara Brock Akil and her husband/partner Salim Akil (The Game, Being Mary Jane). Black Lightning will follow the titular superhero, whose alter-ego of Jefferson Pierce hung up the the suit years before the show kicks off.
According to the synopsis for Black Lightning that was released when the show was first reported to be in development, it will follow Jefferson Pierce getting back into the superhero game as his daughter becomes “hellbent on justice and a star student being recruited by a local gang.” In the comics, Pierce has two daughters, Anissa and Jennifer, who adopted the superhero identities of Thunder and Lightning, respectively. At this point, it’s unclear if the daughter mentioned in the Black Lightning series synopsis is either Anissa or Jennifer - or a new character entirely.
However, considering Black Lightning’s move to The CW, it’s likely Pierce’s daughter and the “star student” mentioned in the synopsis will receive just as much focus as the titular hero himself. Each of The CW’s DC Comics series have introduced various other heroes who have joined the team in the lead’s fight against evil. It’s likely Black Lightning may follow this format as well.
That said, it remains to be seen whether Black Lightning will officially join The CW’s DCTV multiverse - and whether the characters on the show will live on Earth-1 or another Earth. When speaking about the series earlier this year, prior to its move from Fox to The CW, Berlanti seemed skeptical about Black Lightning crossing over with the Arrowverse. Of course, that may have been due to the series being in development for Fox at the time, but based on the early synopsis for Black Lightning, it additionally appears to have a much different tone than that of The CW’s superhero series. Still, now that Black Lightning has received an official pilot order from The CW, it remains to be seen what the shift in network means for the series going forward.
Next: Black Lightning TV Show May Start Filming in March
We’ll keep you updated on Black Lightning as development continues.
Source: The Wrap
