“Black Lightning” has officially been picked up by the CW, and following the release of the first trailer for the upcoming series, hype for the show is at an all time high. The CW is loaded with DC shows at the moment, which is why fans were thrilled to see another one added to the lineup.
Everyone got excited the the thought of Black Lightning joining the “Arrowverse” but CW chief Mark Pedowitz recently confirmed that the show won’t be connected to Oliver Queen and company.
“We do not aim to do a five-way crossover. Black Lightning, at this time, is not part of the Arrowverse. It is a separate situation. But there will be a big fourth quarter crossover with all four of the shows that are on in the fall.”
Although there are no plans to do a crossover at the moment, executive producer Salim Akil told International Business Times that he’s open to “Black Lightning” working with “Arrowverse” characters in the future.
“The storytelling is a little bit more political. It’s topical, and it’s a little grittier. … It doesn’t mean that down the road there won’t be visits,” Salim teased.
“Black Lightning” has been described as a “character-based family drama” and Salim says that fans shouldn’t expect to see a villain of the week type format when the show arrives.
“It’s a character driven show. I don’t know if there’s going to be a fight every week,” Salim said. “There’s certainly not going to be a villain of the week. I don’t want to do that. We really want to explore the characters, even the villains. I think one of the most interesting characters right now from a storytelling standpoint is Tobias. Because we’re not having him sort of twist his mustache. His hatred for himself and for others comes from a real place, so we want to know why he’s like that.”
“Jefferson Pierce (Cress Williams) is a man wrestling with a secret. As the father of two daughters and principal of a charter high school that also serves as a safe haven for young people in a New Orleans neighborhood overrun by gang violence, he is a hero to his community. Nine years ago, Pierce was a hero of a different sort. Gifted with the superhuman power to harness and control electricity, he used those powers to keep his hometown streets safe as the masked vigilante Black Lightning. However, after too many nights with his life on the line, and seeing the effects of the damage and loss that his alter ego was inflicting on his family, he left his Super Hero days behind and settled into being a principal and a dad. Choosing to help his city without using his superpowers, he watched his daughters Anissa (Nafessa Williams) and Jennifer (China Anne McClain) grow into strong young women, even though his marriage to their mother, Lynn (Christine Adams), suffered. Almost a decade later, Pierce’s crime-fighting days are long behind him…or so he thought. But with crime and corruption spreading like wildfire, and those he cares about in the crosshairs of the menacing local gang The One Hundred, Black Lightning returns — to save not only his family, but also the soul of his community.”
