Bad Guys, prepare to get lit up.
The CW has released the first trailer and a new synopsis for the upcoming drama series Black Lightning, based on the DC Comics superhero. The 2 minute, 50 second trailer gives us our first look at the new series, and here's the updated synopsis...
Jefferson Pierce (Cress Williams) is a man wrestling with a secret. As the father of two daughters and principal of a charter high school that also serves as a safe haven for young people in a New Orleans neighborhood overrun by gang violence, he is a hero to 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. However, after too many nights with his life on the line, and seeing the effects of the damage and loss that his alter ego was inflicting on his family, he left his superhero days behind and settled into being a principal and a dad.
Choosing to help his city without using his superpowers, he watched his daughters Anissa (Nafessa Williams) and Jennifer (China Anne McClain) grow into strong young women, even though his marriage to their mother, Lynn (Christine Adams), suffered. Almost a decade later, Pierce’s crime-fighting days are long behind him…or so he thought. But with crime and corruption spreading like wildfire, and those he cares about in the crosshairs of the menacing local gang The One Hundred, Black Lightning returns — to save not only his family, but also the soul of his community.
The trailer begins in 2005, with Black Lightning wearing a look similar to when he was a member of the Justice League of America in the comics. We hear a voiceover from Annisa, who says "Black Lightning was a savior who kept our streets and our schools safe. He was hope personified. But he was also Jefferson Pierce, my father."
We see Lynn talking to Jefferson, as he recovers in their bathtub, presumably after fighting members of The One Hundred. "You've been on the streets fighting the One Hundred for years. Let someone else do it. The girls need a father."
"Baby," replies an exhausted Jefferson, "I promise. No more."
We jump ahead to 2017, as we hear more of Annisa's voiceover. "He tried to keep his promise to my mother. Said that he saved more lives as the principal of Garfield High than he ever did as Black Lightning. But without Black Lightning, violence in the streets by the One Hundred gang multiplied. The anger was just under the surface for all of us. The whole city was ready to explode. He could only bury who he was for so long."
Next, we see Jefferson working on a new prototype Black Lightning suit, as we hear him in a voiceover say "The city is getting more and more dangerous every moment. I'm just trying to keep you safe."
We see Black Lightning beating up some of the One Hundred gang at a motel and also see a brief glimpse of Anissa developing her own powers, possibly hinting at her becoming Thunder at some point.
Annisa's voiceover continues, "If you mess with me, my sister, my mother, or the innocent in this city, you're gonna get lit up."
In the final scene, we see Jefferson chatting with his daughters, admitting "Sometimes...I can come off a little overprotective."
Annisa and Jennifer quickly agree, making Jefferson smile.
If you'd like to check out the new trailer, you can view it below thanks to the official CW account on YouTube...
Black Lightning is expected to debut sometime in early 2018 on The CW as a midseason replacement.