Deadline reports the Black Lightning series pilot was passed up by Fox, and there’s a strong possibility we could see The CW pick up the show to run alongside Greg Berlanti’s other DC installments: The Flash, Arrow, Supergirl and Legends.
Black Lightning on Fox seemed like a done deal, and the separation from other popular DC TV shows even made a little bit of sense. Black Lightning could attempt for a less superhero-ey, older, grittier, darker feel, like Gotham and Lucifer do. At least that’s what all DC fans were telling themselves, secretly hoping the series could somehow make it over to The CW and the Berlanti-verse.
Berlanti even went so far to say in an interview last month that if Black Lightning was on Fox, the character wouldn’t crossover to The CW. When asked about the possibility of a team-up with The Flash, Green Arrow or Supergirl, CBR reports Berlanti said, “I don’t think so.”
The reasoning behind Fox’s decision is that it’s “not a good fit” because of an “already crowded” drama lineup. Fox currently has two DC series, Gotham and Lucifer, as well as an upcoming space dramedy from Seth MacFarlane, an X-Men pilot and The Passage.
Riverdale, which premiered with very strong reviews, is also from Greg Berlanti. The series was originally slated for Fox, but migrated to The CW. Hopefully, Black Lightning will migrate just as smoothly and become the first African-American superhero on network TV.
Though Black Lightning was one of the first major African-American superheroes in DC Comics, many young fans associate him with another character holding the same electromagnetic powers: Static, the focus of the hit Kids WB animated series, Static Shock.
There have been rumors for years Warner Bros. had a Static show in development with Jaden Smith as the lead; however, the series never came to fruition. It’s interesting to see Berlanti picking up one of the more original versions of the character, who we first met in the animated series, Batman: The Brave and the Bold, then in Young Justice Season 2 alongside the second TV version of Static.
Berlanti has been working with The Game and Being Mary Jane creators Salim and Mara Brock Akil on a Black Lightning for more than a year now. No word on when The CW will make their final decision. Check out the series description below.
He made his choice: he hung up the suit and his secret identity years ago, but with a daughter hell-bent on justice and a star student being recruited by a local gang, he’ll be pulled back into the fight as the wanted vigilante and DC legend.
