Fans were introduced to the world of Black Lightning earlier this week, and it sounds like the show’s status quo could soon be met with a major challenge.
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In a recent interview with Entertainment Weekly, executive producer Salim Akil hinted at another thing that will complicate Jefferson Pierce/Black Lightning’s (Cress Williams) fight to protect the town of Freeland – a drug nicknamed Green Light.
“We’re introducing a new drug into the community called Green Light in later episodes,” EP Salim Akil says. “It will be the crux of the season in terms of how drugs enter a community, how a community is exploited, and Black Lightning sort of working himself up the food chain of discovering where it comes from and who put it there.”
It sounds like this inclusion of Green Light will be just the latest real-life topic that Black Lightning takes on. Even in the show’s premiere episode, Black Lightning took on police traffic stops, gun violence, and even featured appearances by several real-life activists. All in all, this just proves how much the show wants to focus on “authentic” representation, and the various conversations that occur along with that.
“I think the character of Jefferson and Black Lightning and Thunder and Anissa and Jennifer and Lightning and Inspector Henderson and Lynn, they all have different points of view.” Akil recently told ComicBook.com. “Which allows me and the other writers to sort of talk about things that are sort of… It’s funny that people say it’s “topical.” Because to me it’s not.”
“I understand people think it’s topical, but cyclically we keep experiencing the same sh*t, man.” Akil continued. “I wanted to be maybe a little wedge in between it to say, ‘We’re experiencing the same sh*t, you guys.’ You know what I mean? Right now people just see it as, “Oh, you guys are really topical.” No. If we had done this show three years ago, if we had done it right after Trayvon Martin, if we had done it right it just… It’s continuous.”
Black Lightning airs Tuesdays at 9/8c on The CW.
