Black Lightning series developing...

Started by Shogunn2517, September 01, 2016, 06:58:05 PM

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Shogunn2517

http://deadline.com/2016/09/black-lightning-dc-superhero-series-greg-berlanti-mara-brock-akil-salim-akil-1201811892/

This is interesting in a few ways.

First of all Black Lightning is ripe full of material that would make compelling television IMO.  Secondly, you have Greg Berlanti collaborating with Brock/Salim.  Someone who has a platform of success on with Time Warner and CBS and a pair that is successful with Viacom properties.  Now, I don't want or suggest to pigeon hole a black superhero with the "black network" BET, but from a business sense, not only could it increase BET's viewership but it would be a WELCOMED departure from its typical programmming.  I mean a superhero action drama is worlds apart from set comedy-dramas like Girlfriends or The Game.  But in doing so, being in the shared universe Arrow/Flash/Supergirl/Legends would be that much more unlikely.  Again, this is assuming a BET pitch would be the path of least resistance.  But then again, their prior shows did debut on WB/CW before they were moved to BET.  So they DO have a relationship. 

Overall, Black Lightning is a interesting character.  Can bring an "urban" twist to a superhero show we don't often see, but still be about the heroes we want to see.  I hope they can find a home and develop a show.

BentonGrey

Cool.  I really like the character, and I agree, he could easily make for a great TV show.  I don't know these folks or their work, and at this point I'm very hesitant about any superhero show not on Netflix...nonetheless, I'm cautiously interested.  The pitch focusing on him having retired and having a daughter doesn't sound as interesting as seeing him start out, but I'm willing to be convinced.
God Bless
"If God came down upon me and gave me a wish again, I'd wish to be like Aquaman, 'cause Aquaman can take the pain..." -Ballad of Aquaman
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Shogunn2517

Quote from: BentonGrey on September 01, 2016, 08:18:49 PM
Cool.  I really like the character, and I agree, he could easily make for a great TV show.  I don't know these folks or their work, and at this point I'm very hesitant about any superhero show not on Netflix...nonetheless, I'm cautiously interested.  The pitch focusing on him having retired and having a daughter doesn't sound as interesting as seeing him start out, but I'm willing to be convinced.

True.  I agree.  But as far as their work goes, I'm not a oft viewer but they're typical CW like sitcoms.  Being Mary Jane is their newest and it's more drama soap opera ish, but it's received some critical acclaim, but they're niche shows.  Don't really see a superhero show(or action series) in their wheelhouse, but Berlanti is likely handling the heavy lifting.  Ali and Brock might be there to have it speak to a particular auduence.  My guess at least.

trebean

doubt it's gonna be on the CW since they already said they have enough Superhero Shows.

Shogunn2517

A bit of news have released.  Some time ago, Greg Berlanti stated that the series, which is currently filming won't be a part of the Arrowverse.  IMO, that would have been kinda silly.  But since, Fox has passed on the series and it's been picked up by the CW.  However, unlike the other CW originated series this is not a spinoff.  So I guess that's still up in the air.

What isn't is Cress Williams in costume:
http://www.ign.com/articles/2017/03/29/first-look-at-black-lightning-from-the-cws-new-dc-comics-pilot

HarryTrotter

Quote from: Shogunn2517 on March 30, 2017, 05:40:36 PM
...it's been picked up by the CW.
I have never been less surprised in my life.
''Even our origin stories have gone sour.''
Jon Farmer

BentonGrey

Well...it's not terrible.  What do y'all think?  I have to say, I really don't like the mask.  It looks goofy.
God Bless
"If God came down upon me and gave me a wish again, I'd wish to be like Aquaman, 'cause Aquaman can take the pain..." -Ballad of Aquaman
Check out mymods and blog!
https://bentongrey.wordpress.com/

Glitch Girl

Initially, I didn't like the circuit pattern in the costume thinking it makes it kinda busy, then I thought it would be cool if energy moved through them when he uses his powers.

I guess what I'm saying is I want to see this more in context before I render a final verdict.  Initial impression though is not too bad but a bit on the busy side.
-Glitch Girl

"Cynicism is not maturity, do not mistake the one for the other. If you truly cannot accept a story where someone does the right thing because it's the right thing to do, that says far more about who you are than these characters." - Greg Rucka

Shogunn2517

Quote from: BentonGrey on March 30, 2017, 06:06:39 PM
Well...it's not terrible.  What do y'all think?  I have to say, I really don't like the mask.  It looks goofy.

I wouldn't say goofy.... (okay, maybe a little).  But honestly, I would imagine it being more tinted...  maybe a yellow or a dark tint.  I mean since he is flashing a bunch of lightning, it'd make sense.

BentonGrey

Okay, so the trailer has been released:
http://majorspoilers.com/2017/05/18/television-black-lightning-first-look-trailer-arrives/

Initial thoughts: The costume he used in the flashback is basically comics accurate and looks about 1000 times better than the 'modern' one.  Why in the world didn't they go with that?  It looks like an actual costume, while the modern one looks like fairly decent cosplay.  The mask looks WAY goofier in action.  Wow.  Just...wow.  Also, someone explain to me how the ending scene with the levitating punk is even remotely possible from BL's powerset. 

On the plus side, the CW vibe isn't too strong, and I like the basic concept.  As I've said before, though, I'd rather they start at the beginning.  I like this character, and I'm prepared to give this show a shot, despite its origins.
God Bless
"If God came down upon me and gave me a wish again, I'd wish to be like Aquaman, 'cause Aquaman can take the pain..." -Ballad of Aquaman
Check out mymods and blog!
https://bentongrey.wordpress.com/

Glitch Girl

I'm actually kinda glad they aren't starting with an origin arc as there have been TONS of those lately.  We're dealing with an established (albeit retired) hero, which is a nice change.

And if you want origin stories, I am willing to bed you're going to get one with his daughters.  :)
-Glitch Girl

"Cynicism is not maturity, do not mistake the one for the other. If you truly cannot accept a story where someone does the right thing because it's the right thing to do, that says far more about who you are than these characters." - Greg Rucka

Deaths Jester

O_o

GG just said she's "willing to bed". My, my GG, it seems some of my "charm" is rubbing off on you. ;-)
Avatar picture originally a Brom painting entitled Marionette.

Shogunn2517

I actually see both your points about an origin story.  I think there's more story to go with in an origin and yet we've had plenty of those.

That said, I'm not as sour on the costume.  Yeah the original one was more accurate, but practically speaking, the dude did have bullet holes in him wearing that thing.  The new one seems more sturdier.  Bulkier, but more resistant to realistic combat.  Yeah, it'll get some getting use to but I think it'll work.

Glitch Girl

Quote from: Deaths Jester on May 19, 2017, 03:42:25 AM
O_o

GG just said she's "willing to bed". My, my GG, it seems some of my "charm" is rubbing off on you. ;-)
Oh hush.

Anyhoo...

My biggest problem with the new costume is the glowing lapels.  I don't mind the mask or the bulk too much, and IIRC, the closeups have a circuitry pattern worked into the suit which I now know trace glowing energy. But the glowing lapels just look off to me. 

-Glitch Girl

"Cynicism is not maturity, do not mistake the one for the other. If you truly cannot accept a story where someone does the right thing because it's the right thing to do, that says far more about who you are than these characters." - Greg Rucka

Deaths Jester

Quote from: Glitch Girl on May 19, 2017, 06:36:37 PM
Quote from: Deaths Jester on May 19, 2017, 03:42:25 AM
O_o

GG just said she's "willing to bed". My, my GG, it seems some of my "charm" is rubbing off on you. ;-)
Oh hush.

Anyhoo...

My biggest problem with the new costume is the glowing lapels.  I don't mind the mask or the bulk too much, and IIRC, the closeups have a circuitry pattern worked into the suit which I now know trace glowing energy. But the glowing lapels just look off to me.

Oh yeah, GG, order me around... :P
Avatar picture originally a Brom painting entitled Marionette.

BentonGrey

Haha, now look what you've done, GG!

Well, that costume just looks like the ugly, overdesigned faux-armor things that are literally everywhere with TV superheroes.  It just looks ugly and badly made.  Yes, practically speaking, there's obvious advantages to armor if you're a non-bulletproof superhero, but realism really isn't that high on my list of concerns for such shows.  If you're going to go with armor, at least make it look better than that! 

Yeah, we've had plenty of origin stories, but none like his!  That's part of the reason I wish we could see it.  He's such a great character, and I'd like to see them tell his whole story.
God Bless
"If God came down upon me and gave me a wish again, I'd wish to be like Aquaman, 'cause Aquaman can take the pain..." -Ballad of Aquaman
Check out mymods and blog!
https://bentongrey.wordpress.com/

Shogunn2517

Welll, if you want to put it that way Benton, a black dude going around shoving lightning bolts up people's ashes, if you're going that route then why not give him spandex? Lol

I still think ultimately it'll grow on us.  Especially if the story is well done.

I guess we'll see.

BentonGrey

Haha, right? 

Yeah, it's not enough to make me write the show off or anything, but it's just a shame that they MADE a better costume and aren't going to use it.
God Bless
"If God came down upon me and gave me a wish again, I'd wish to be like Aquaman, 'cause Aquaman can take the pain..." -Ballad of Aquaman
Check out mymods and blog!
https://bentongrey.wordpress.com/

Starman

I'm curious to see which characters DC incorporates into the "Black Lightning"-verse, since this will be separate to "Supergirl" and "Green Arrow"/"The Flash"/"Legends..." universe.

It's also interesting to see The CW superhero series continue to expand its use of older actors playing superheroes ... they've come a long way since they cast a hunky young dude as Wildcat on "Arrow".

BentonGrey

This is really awesome.  Black Lightning's creator, Tony Isabella, has had a rather famously rocky relationship with DC, especially over creator's rights.  Yet, he recently wrote on his blog about being flown out to meet with the folks working on this show, and seeing a creator get treated so well after all the ugliness of the preceding years is really wonderful.  Check out his account:
http://tonyisabella.blogspot.com/2017/07/los-angeles-confidential.html
God Bless
"If God came down upon me and gave me a wish again, I'd wish to be like Aquaman, 'cause Aquaman can take the pain..." -Ballad of Aquaman
Check out mymods and blog!
https://bentongrey.wordpress.com/

catwhowalksbyhimself

Courtesy of Freedom Reborn's Facebook page, we have the first look at Black Lightning's daughter, Thunder.

https://io9.gizmodo.com/heres-your-first-look-at-black-lightnings-superpowered-1821787253

It looks like we are literally going to have a family team here, which I approve of.  The other CW DC shows have teams that act like a family (when they aren't getting all dramatic and stuff) but in this case they literally are a family.  I like that.  It's something distinct.
I am the cat that walks by himself, all ways are alike to me.

Shogunn2517

#21
Black Lightning premiered tonight... Not a bad start.  Not overly excellent, but mildly entertaining, performances were pretty solid, writing was... eh.  Still got some questions though...

Spoiler
The first and foremost thought that's been on my mind, and on many of our collective minds were whether this is included in the Arrowverse.  The producers were on record saying that DC gave them the freedom to make that decision themselves, which doesn't mean they've exactly decided whether to or not to include it in the overall universe.  My take was that since the showrunner's wheelhouse was well outside of the genre that she'd want to do her own thing apart from any of the other properties.  However, literally the first thing this show made a point to do was to ground the show in a more authentic/realistic present-day take of what's going on in America.  Jeff Pierce's daughter is arrested protesting the police.  But in doing so, we learn the show takes place in a fictional city.  I heard initially it would be New Orleans, but knowing they decided to go that route might be one tell of where they would want to go with it.

The next thing I noticed were actual real-world political figures in the show, Nina Turner and Roland Martin(in case no one picked it up).  But midway through the show Roland Martin made the super hero show political when he commented "why is he a vigilante, but other communities have folks with superpowers and they're heroes."(Remarking how the black guy is a "vigilante while all others are heroes.)  Typically politics in this genre would make some uncomfortable, but it kinda made a little sense here, but my greater point is they included that line for a reason.  That there are others places with superpowered heroes.  Not sure if was a reference to the Arrowverse or whether they're going to introduce other heroes, but it was clearly purposeful.

Overall though, I didn't have much doubt about Cress Williams.  More familiar with him from 90s television(Living Singles/Nash Bridges), but I thought he'd do well.  The chemistry between Anissa and Jennifer was really good.  Not sure if it was the writing or acting, but it came of VERY authentic.  The villains, the 100 were also equally authentic.  Latavius/Allah was convincing.  Tobias Whale, was boldly casted, but well casted.  Unfortunately, there were few spots of lazy writing and tried and tired tropes that the show got trapped in.  Cops racially profiling(scene included for no apparent reason at all).  Black Lightning started to "give the city hope".  Wife wanting him to quit heroisms because of family.  Yadda, yadda.

Overall not so bad though.  Kinda what I expected from a premier.  Was also a pretty good easter egg to see that his old costume was his costume from the comics and looked pretty accurate.  However, I suppose it makes more sense to wear an armored costume than to wear rubber/spandex.

Not sure if anyone else caught it, but it's a good start.  Has a lot more room to grown to make sure to attract and keep audiences though.

catwhowalksbyhimself

#22
I watched it.  It has me interested enough to keep watching.  I do like that we have a somewhat older hero with a family.  Other than that we shall see, but I enjoyed what I saw so far.

EDIT: I also like the fact that they skipped the origin story.  I'm sure they'll go into it later on, but not ever superhero show needs one.  Instead of wasting time with all that setup, they drop us right into the action instead.  A refreshing change.
I am the cat that walks by himself, all ways are alike to me.

Shogunn2517

Yeah, I noticed that too, Cat.  It's refreshing.  I mean I think audiences are wise enough to accept that a superhero show has a guy that can cast lightning.  Particularly when I believe they'll tell his origin and backstory through other characters(Whale and Anissa).

Also a nice little easter egg I read was that Jefferson Pierce is/was married to Lynn Pierce, who was Lynn Stewart before she married Jefferson.  She is the sister of John Stewart.

Not sure if that means he'll show up in the show or not, but it's a nice little nod.

BentonGrey

I need to try and catch this so I can give it a chance.
God Bless
"If God came down upon me and gave me a wish again, I'd wish to be like Aquaman, 'cause Aquaman can take the pain..." -Ballad of Aquaman
Check out mymods and blog!
https://bentongrey.wordpress.com/

Shogunn2517

So not sure if anyone is watching this still(or at all).  It's understandable.  It's NOT really a superhero show.  The showrunners are actually really good at what they do.  Which is not genre shows and it shows.  It's dramatic and has a good narrative. These characters are very well written.  Authentic AF.  The villains are WONDERFUL.  The actors playing Tobias Whale is a gem.  Jill Scott(R&B singer) kinda knocked out the park her role particularly when you just expect her to be your standard singer-turn-actor.  Many of the other characters are very relatable.  But the story is a bit of a clunky mess.  Black Lightning seems to have any ol superpower they want to give him.  As far as the superheroics go, it's a bit convenient and cartoony, the way it's talked about.  They're doing the same motif of using a cop/vigilante team-up.

Anyway, I digress.

I just thought it was interesting in the latest episode, the youngest daughter finds out that her sister and father(Thunder and Black Lightning) are who they are, her mother goes to talk to her and jokingly tells her she's not Vixen or Supergirl.... just thought it was interesting that THOSE two were the two they mentioned, which makes me more curious if this is or will be a part of the Arrowverse even more.

Silver Shocker

I've been watching it. In Canada it's a Netflix exclusive, and I actually think it watches better that way, with the commercials all cut out, because I find it feels more like the DC answer to the Marvel Netflix shows (like Luke Cage) than something comparable to the other CW superhero shows. I actually dig it quite a bit more than I thought I would. I was pretty sure I'd give it a try but I wasn't really sure what to expect. I agree that the actor for Tobias is pretty great, I think I like him more as a "ghetto Kingpin" than Cottonmouth in Luke Cage.  It's a pretty well cast show. The thing I like about it is that with a family man dynamic it's really carved out it's own niche that the other superhero shows and movies don't really offer. It's refreshing in that regard (I felt the same way about Spider-Man Homecoming being a MCU film with a high-school student hero) At first I thought Jefferson himself (Cress Williams) was a little too stiff for a leading man, but he's grown on me.

I've heard the creators have been a bit undecided on whether it's in the Arrowverse, but they took the same approach to Supergirl at first. The only thing is I don't think it fits tonally at all with the other shows, and that it'd be really surreal if those characters did crossover with Black Lightning, but then again the same is pretty much true for the Marvel Netflix shows.
"Now you know what you're worth? Then go out and get what you're worth, but you gotta be willing to take the hits. And not pointing fingers, saying you're not where you want to be because of him, or her, or anybody. Cowards do that, and THAT AIN'T YOU. YOU'RE BETTER THAN THAT!"
~Rocky Balboa

catwhowalksbyhimself

I"m still watching it too.  Am a bit behind because of the Power Rangers Hyperforce Shattered Grid special the last few weeks, but I'll try to catch up before next week.  Yes, it's different from the other superhero shows, but it still manages to be good and do its own thing.  It's also cool that they were able to find an actual African-American Albino to play Tobias Whale and one who actually is great at the role.  I've read some interviews with him, and he's very much putting his own experiences and the prejudice he's experience as a result of both of the traits into the role.  I am looking forward to seeing where it goes, and I like that we have a family of superheroes developing, as that makes this show wholely unique among the others.
I am the cat that walks by himself, all ways are alike to me.

Silver Shocker

Watching the current season of Black Lightning. Really not enjoying it. Markovia is really not doing it for me. I was worried about it as soon as they set it up in S2, but now that we're here, I kinda wish we could go  back. :(
"Now you know what you're worth? Then go out and get what you're worth, but you gotta be willing to take the hits. And not pointing fingers, saying you're not where you want to be because of him, or her, or anybody. Cowards do that, and THAT AIN'T YOU. YOU'RE BETTER THAN THAT!"
~Rocky Balboa

GhostMachine

If they're merging Earths in Crisis, I expect the Markovians storyline to be over by then. Because if Black Lightning, Supergirl, The Flash, Green Arrow (if he doesn't die), Batwoman, the Legends and their allies are all on the same Earth, then the Markovians aren't much of a threat. Even if Geo-Force and Terra show up as villains.