For the fourth time this season, Greg Berlanti has landed a pilot order. This will be his second with the CW.
DC Comics had originally planned to air the Black Lightning television show on a Fox Studios channel but, according to The Hollywood Reporter, this show will now be hosted by CW. This is the final spot in the roster for CW’s pilot orders. According to THR, the move to the CW was due – at least in part – to the fact that Fox’s slate is already filled up with Lucifer, Gotham and the soon to be X-Men televisions shows.
If this show does indeed go to series after the pilot, Black Lightning – whose “real name” is Jefferson Pearce – will join Netflix’s Luke Cage as one of the first shows to feature an African-American hero as its lead. In fact, he was DC Comics second black superhero after a character named the Black Bomber. The show will also follow Archie Comic’s show Riverdale (at its second episode now) and DC Comics Supergirl with the move to CW.
So just who is Black Lighting? First appearing in 1977 in the pages of Black Lightning # 1 for DC Comics, Black Lightning is a metahuman that has the ability to manipulate electricity. He was created by writer Tony Isabella and artist Trevor Von Eeden.
Black Lightning was previously in the Warner Brothers / DC Comics animated feature Superman/Batman: Public Enemies and was voiced by Star Trek and Reading Rainbow star LeVar Burton. He was also voiced by actor Cedric Yarbrough in Justice League: Crisis on Two Earths.
It should be a fun show! CW is collecting a nice stable of properties