After moving to The CW it seems that ‘Black Lightning‘ is moving along at full speed as Cress Williams (‘The Doom Generation’,’Code Black’) has been tapped for the leading role. Williams had history on The CW having starred as one of the main characters on their ‘Hart of Dixie.’ Greg Berlanti has more than a successful track record with ‘Supergirl,’ ‘The Flash,’ ‘Arow,’ and ‘Legends of Tomorrow’ so chances are we’ll see him joining The CW’s DC family for quite some time to come. With the show being written by Salim and Mara Brock Akil it should have solid character development to enjoy. In general, ‘Black Lightning’ is a segment that would be darker than the other shows that we’ve seen so far which could be an interesting counterpoint to the existing ones.
It should come as no surprise that one of Berlanti’s projects are moving forward at full steam on The CW.
For those unfamiliar with the character, here was what the pitch looked like which will help to familiarize yourself with ‘Black Lightning’:
In present day Watts, the One Hundred street gang is winning the war against the LAPD and the local citizens. Jefferson Pierce, 40, is the principal of the local high school. He’s been separated from his wife Lynn for over a decade ever since he stopped being the superhero Black Lightning. The violent street gang killed an innocent high school student that Black Lightning was desperately trying to protect. His younger daughter Jennifer is a student athlete while his older daughter Anissa teaches at the high school.
Jefferson has been trying to make the high school an oasis of hope for the violent neighborhood. After a gangbanger gets Jennifer in trouble, Jefferson is forced to use his powers for the first time in a decade. After rescuing her and beating up two racist LAPD cops, he’s saved by Gambi his former mentor. He pleads to Jefferson to bring back Black Lightning because the neighborhood needs to be saved from the One Hundred. He refuses but finally needs to bring back his heroic persona when his two daughters are kidnapped by gang members…
Seeing Williams as Black Lightning should be a fun role to see him in. Another difference from the other DC shows that we’ll see is Williams is significantly older than the other leading actors. However, as his daughters will be playing a significant role and may even develop super powers of their own as the show moves forward, it would make sense to have him older so both of his kids would be as well.
Do you think Cress Williams will play a grounded ‘Black Lightning’? Will the series take this into a more dark and serious realm or will the show end up as lighthearted as The CW’s other releases? Share your thoughts below!
Stuart Conover is an author, blogger, and all around geek. When not busy being a father and husband he tries to spend as much time as possible immersed in comic books, science fiction, and horror! Would you like to know more? Follow him on Twitter!
