We are still waiting for The CW to announce their 2021-2022 new series pickups, and one of those possible new series is Painkiller, a Black Lightning spinoff starring Jordan Calloway. A backdoor pilot for Painkiller already aired on The CW as an episode of Black Lightning, and before Tuesday, we should know the fate of the project.
On Friday, when speaking with Executive Producer Salim Akil about Monday’s Black Lightning series finale, there were not any updates on Painkiller just yet.
“I’m confident,” he said. “He’s a great character. We have wonderful stories that we want to tell, but right now it’s out of my hands, and in the hands of those who make those decisions.”
What would Akil be most excited about exploring with a Painkiller series?
“I’m really excited about exploring youth. Painkiller is a much younger show. I’m excited about exploring the duality of the African-American male, and excited about the exploration of these very strong women that are in the show. I’m excited about every character, and everything about it. The possibilities to me are infinite with this character, so I’m excited about telling good stories,” he says.
Keep an eye on KSiteTV for CW schedule news in the coming days as well as our much longer interviews with Salim Akil that will run before and after the big Black Lightning series finale.
