The CW has picked up a pilot order for DC comic book series Black Lighting.
It is being produced by Greg Berlanti, who also produced Arrow, Flash, DC's Legends of Tomorrow, and Supergirl. It was originally being developed by Fox, but they passed on the project earlier this week and it moved to the CW. If the pilot gets picked up, it would the fifth DC show for Berlanti at the CW. The other DC series have been renewed for the 2017-2018 season. If it is greenlit, it is expected that the shows would be staggered through the year instead of airing five nights of superhero television.
The show is based on the DC character Black Lightning, who was originally created in comic book form by Tony Isabella with Trevor Von Eeden. The character's identity is Jefferson Pierce, a retired superhero who is pulled back in as the vigilante Black Lightning because of his daughter seeking justice and a student being recruited by a gang. The television pilot was written by Salim Akil and Mara Brock Akil.