First photo of Black Lightning costume

DC Entertainment has released the first art from the forthcoming BLACK LIGHTNING pilot, written and directed by showrunner Salim Akil, due to debut on the CW later this year. Starring Cress Williams as Jefferson Pierce (aka Black Lightning), the new photo showcases the costume as something of a hybrid cross of the comic book and the DCTV aesthetic.

The Black Lightning costume was designed by Laura Jean Shannon, whose film and television credits include the upcoming Jumanji sequel, The Jungle Book, Scott Pilgrim vs. The World, Blade: Trinity and Iron Man, for which she was nominated for a Costume Designers Guild Award. 

The official synopsis for the show reads as follows:

“Jefferson Pierce made his choice: he hung up the suit and his secret identity years ago, but with one daughter hell-bent on justice and the other 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.”

Greg Berlanti, Salim Akil, Mara Brock Akil and Sarah Schechter are executive producers of BLACK LIGHTNING, from Berlanti Productions and Akil Productions in association with Warner Bros. Television. It will, of course, join existing Berlanti productions Arrow, The Flash, Legends of Tomorrow and Supergirl as part of the expanding DC TV Universe on the CW.