DC's 'Black Lightning' gets pilot order at Fox

The CW may have The Flash, but Fox is looking to add some Black Lightning to its lineup.

Fox Thursday ordered  a pilot for Black Lightning, a potential series based on one of DC Comics' first African-American superheroes.

The husband-and-wife team of Salim and Mara Brock Akil (The Game, Being Mary Jane) will act as executive producer/writers for the new series, form Warner Bros. Television. Other executive producers include Sarah Schechter and Greg Berlanti, who is behind CW's comic-book shows including The Flash, Arrow and Supergirl.

Black Lightning will center on Jefferson Pierce, a former vigilante who hung up his supersuit and secret identity years ago but is forced into being a superhero again when his daughter becomes obsessed with justice and a star student is recruited by a local gang. The character originally appeared in 1977, and was created by writer Tony Isabella and artist Trevor Von Eeden.

The announcement comes on the heels of two other high-profile efforts combining superheroes and diversity: Marvel's Luke Cage, which premieres on Netflix Sept. 30, and the Marvel Studios film Black Panther, which begins filming next year.