Official Black Lightning Season 1 Thread

Atsym Sknyfs

Atsym Sknyfs

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BLACK LIGHTNING Adds Nafessa Williams And China Anne McClain As Thunder And Lightning
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Following the news that The CW's Black Lightning has found its leading man in the form of Cress Williams, it's now been revealed that his two soon-to-be super-powered daughters have also been cast...
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It's been a big day for Marvel casting news up to this point, so here's a little something from the DC camp. Deadline reports that Nafessa Williams (Code Black) and China Anne McClain (House of Payne) have landed female lead roles in The CW's upcoming Black Lightning TV series opposite Cress Williams as Jefferson Pierce.

Williams will play Pierce's oldest daughter Annisa, who is described as "passionate and quick-witted, balances the demands of medical school with her job teaching part-time at her father’s school." McClain, meanwhile, has signed on as the younger Jennifer, who becomes involved with a criminal gang and forces her father to suit up as Black Lightning once again.

In the comics, Anissa and Jennifer follow in their father’s footsteps and don the mantles of of Thunder and Lightning, respectively.

Black Lightning will be written and produced by Salim Akil and Mara Brock Akil, alongside Greg Berlanti. There's no set premiere date just yet.
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satam55

satam55

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:ohhh: @MartyMcFly @Jello Biafra @prophecypro I think I realize why The CW changed their minds & decided to pick up this show. Remember this story from early November?:







On the heels of the “Network Diversity Scorecard” report published on this blog yesterday that rated The CW one of the worst among the Big 5 (ABC, CBS, Fox, NBC, The CW), comes news today that, currently in development is a period crime drama inspired by the real-life black private investigator, Samuel Marlowe, who was the inspiration for author Raymond Chandler’s famed fictional character Philip Marlowe, who’s been played in film adaptations, by several actors over the decades, from Humphrey Bogart to Robert Mitchum.

The real Samuel Marlowe allegedly was the first black private detective licensed by the city of Los Angeles; this was in the 1930s. He was a Jamaican immigrant and World War I veteran, and is said to have corresponded with writers Raymond Chandler and Dashiell Hammett for decades. He was born in 1890, in Montego Bay, Jamaica. According to an LA Times obituary, he served in Britain’s Egyptian Expeditionary Force, a World War I fighting brigade that guarded the Suez Canal. After the war, Marlowe immigrated to the U.S., settling in Los Angeles, where he became a private detective.

The CW drama based on Marlowe’s career is described as “a character-based procedural with a modern feel and contemporary soundtrack,” although it’ll be set in 1937 Los Angeles. “Marlowe” will follow Samuel Marlowe “from the mansions and red carpets of Beverly Hills, to the jazz clubs and back alleys of Little Harlem, where he navigates crimes, mysteries and social issues ripped from today’s headlines through the prism of 1937 Los Angeles,” says the press release.

Devon Greggory (“CSI Cyber,” “State of Affairs”) will pen the script and co-executive produce the project, which hails from Aaron Kaplan’s Kaplan Entertainment shingle. Kaplan will also exec produce.

The project is still in early development, and so whether it’ll eventually make it to a TV screen near you, courtesy of The CW, isn’t a guarantee. But should “Marlowe” indeed become a series for the network, it would become The CW’s first with a black character central.

Let’s hope it makes it through to the finish line; time to play, who would you cast as Marlowe? Given that it’s The CW, there’s a strong likelihood that the character is under 40 years old. The CW’s audience skews younger. So your casting choices are limited to black male actors under 40, or can play under 40.
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Following news earlier today that the network had put into development a period crime drama series based on real-life black detective Samuel Marlowe, the network has also now picked up a new project from John Singleton titled “Straight Outta Heaven,” an hour-long drama which is described as a faith-based, hip-hop “‘Touched by an Angel’-meets-‘Ghost’ with an urban twist.”

The guardian angel drama, which will be written and executive produced by Singleton and Dallas Jackson, will be produced by Warner Bros. TV studio.

“John and I have similar genre taste and recognized a need on network television for the underserved urban youth audience and faith-based audience,” Jackson said. “The CW is the perfect home for this new kind of hero we’ve created who’s superpower is faith.”

This is the 3rd TV project Singleton has on his slate, including the previously announced FX crack epidemic drama “Snowfall,” and the BET cop series “Rebel.”

In case you haven’t been paying attention, there’s money to be made with so-called faith-based projects (for film and TV), as more and more stars take on material that targets that specific demographic. With the box office success of recent films like “Heaven Is for Real,” and TV ratings hits like “The Bible Series,” “Son of God,” and “AD,” it’s probably a very good time for content creators with faith-based projects primed for the big or small screen. Hence, more and more similar releases should be expected.

The CW, which as I noted in the “Marlowe” post earlier today, appears to be making a necessary diversity push, as it ranks (per a new study) as one of the worst of the Big 5 TV networks (ABC, CBS, Fox, NBC, The CW) when it comes to inclusiveness on the screen.

Now about that “Straight Outta Heaven” title…

Deadline was first to report the new pickup by The CW.
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:ehh: Doing a Greg Berlanti & Mara Brock Akil-produced DC Comics' "Black Lighting" show is probably an easier sell than their original plans.
 
satam55

satam55

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Here’s your first look at Cress Williams as Jefferson Pierce—better known as Black Lightning!

Williams is joined by Christine Adams, Nafessa Williams and China Anne McClain in The CW’s “Black Lightning” superhero drama pilot from Greg Berlanti, Mara Brock Akil and Salim Akil. Written by Akil and Brock Akil, based on the DC character and to be directed by Akil, “Black Lightning” centers on Jefferson Pierce (Williams). He made his choice: He hung up the suit and his secret identity years ago, but with a daughter, Jennifer (McClain) hellbent 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 Black Lightning.

Christine Adams will play Lynn, Jefferson’s ex-wife who exudes confidence and intelligence. Although she’s got a mischievous side, she’s not one to be trifled with when it comes to family.

Nafessa Williams and China Anne McClain play his daughters, Anissa and Jennifer Pierce – one a 20-something, passionate and quick-witted, who balances the demands of medical school with her job teaching part-time at her father’s school; and the other is an independent, outspoken scholar-athlete with a wild streak of her own.

In the DC comics, both daughters follow in their father’s footsteps and become superheroes themselves, known as Thunder and Lightning.

As Black Lightning’s executive producer, writer and Director, Salim Akil, explains, “I knew way too much about the world as a young boy growing up in Richmond, California. I was no stranger to violence, death, hopelessness or the feeling that no one cared about what was happening in my life. Comics were a great way for me to escape. I was about 13 when Black Lightning was created, and finally there was a Black Super Hero that gave a damn about our neighborhood and our lives. Resurrecting him at a time in our society when a sense of hope is lacking…Black Lightning will be that hope. And in updating the suit, it will signal to a new generation that it’s time to harness and release our power, and become our own Super Heroes.”

According to DC Comics Universe lore, Black Lightning – created by Tony Isabella and Trevor von Eeden, first appearing in “Black Lightning #1” (1977) – is a superhero with the ability to generate and control lightning. Originally he was a high school principal and Olympic-level athlete who became a vigilante to take down organized crime in Metropolis’ Suicide Slum. Eventually he would become a member of Batman’s team of Outsiders for many years, although he retired briefly to become secretary of education underneath president Lex Luthor. Returning to crime-fighting, he has also been a member of the Justice League. His two daughters operate as the super-heroes Thunder and Lightning.

Salim Akil and Mara Brock Akil will write and executive produce the series with Berlanti Prods’ Greg Berlanti and Sarah Schechter, for Warner Bros. TV. Recall the Akils inked a 3-year deal with Warner Bros. TV after exiting BET in 2015. “Black Lightning” will be their second project under the new deal; the other is a comedy series titled “Documenting Love” which will center on a modern-day power couple navigating life, love and family.

The “Black Lightning” series has been in the works at Warner Bros. for over a year, going through different variations, because the TV studio wanted to make sure it got the character, his world, and the overall series right.
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Mazino

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I'll reserve judgement on the suit until I see it live.
 
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