Even with four TV shows based on DC Comics characters, producerGreg Berlantiis expanding his small screen superhero slate even more. The producer is teaming up withThe GamecreatorMara Brock Akiland her husbandSalim Akilfor a newsuperhero TV seriesbased on theBlack Lightningcharacter. The show is currently being pitched to networks, so there is no guarantee that it could land at The CW, and we don’t know for sure if the network is even in the mix to pick up this show.
Deadlinereports thatMara Brock AkilandSalim Akilwill write thepilot scriptforGreg Berlantiand Warner Bros. Television. The story centers on Jefferson Pierce, who stopped being the superheroBlack Lightningseveral years ago. He gets back into the game after his daughter becomes “hell-bent on justice” and one of his star students is recruited by a street gang.
Black Lightningwas one ofDC Comics' first major African-American superheroes, making his debut in 1977. In the comics, Jefferson has two daughters, both of whom become heroes in their own right. Anissa Pierce becomes known as Thunder, who eventually joins a superhero group known as The Outsiders, while Jennifer Pierce becomes Lightning, who is recruited by the Justice Society of America. It isn’t known if either of these characters will be featured in the TV series.
This report reveals that, while it is just going out to networks now, Warner Bros. Television has been working on this project for well over a year, with various different incarnations being developed before it was ready to be shopped to networks. It isn’t clear ifGreg Berlantihas been involved this whole time. IfBlack Lightningdoes go to series, it will join The CW’sArrow,The Flash,Legends of Tomorrow,SupergirlandiZombie, along with Fox’sGothamandLuciferas part of DC’s TV slate.
Mara Brock AkilandSalim Akilare currently working onDocumenting Love, amulti-camera comedyset up at ABC with a pilot production commitment.Greg Berlantiis also developingCriminalfromBlindspotcreatorMartin Gero, which has a put pilot commitment at ABC, and the ABC comedyRaised By Wolves, written byDiablo Cody. He also serves as an executive producer on The CW’sRiverdale, based on the Archie Comics.
