'Black Lightning' Showrunner on Why the Latest Promotional Photos Show the Hero in Handcuffs
Jefferson Pierce is in handcuffs in the latest promotional images released for Black Lightning, [...]
Jefferson Pierce is in handcuffs in the latest promotional images released for Black Lightning, which premieres in just under two weeks on The CW.
The series, which stars Cress Williams, deals with a formerly-retired superhero who comes back to deal with a gang problem in his city. Living his civilian life as a respected educator, Jefferson Pierce seems like the last person you would find in custody, but showrunner Salim Akil told reporters that this scene was the first one he wrote for the series.
"The first scene in my head was him being pulled over by the police," Akil said. "A lot of what we're talking about in the show is stuff that I've experienced, so one of the first things that popped into my head was this guy who had powers being pulled over by the police and not using them."
You can see the images, along with several other photos from the series' pilot, in the attached image gallery.
The official episode synopsis for the pilot is below.
Black Lightning 01x01 Gallery
Jefferson Pierce (Cress Williams) is a man wrestling with a secret. As the father of Anissa (Nafessa Williams) and Jennifer (China Ann McClain), and principal of a charter high school that also serves as a safe-haven for young people in a neighborhood overrun by gang violence, he is a hero in his community.
Nine years ago, Pierce was a hero of a different sort. Gifted with the superhuman power to harness and control electricity, he used those powers to keep his hometown streets safe as the masked vigilante Black Lightning, but he left the Superhero days behind. Almost a decade later, Pierce's crime-fighting days are long behind him…or so he thought.
Christine Adams, James Remar, Damon Gupton and Marvin Jones III also star. The episode was written and directed by Salim Akil.
