Black Lightning is only a couple of episodes into it's final season, but it's hard not to look forward to Episode 7. That is where we will see the backdoor pilot for the Painkiller spinoff series. In what feels like an early vote of confidence, a few new cast member have been announced for the spinoff.
Deadline reports that three new characters have been cast for the series. Since they also provided character descriptions, how about I just list them all for you:
- Sibongile Mlambo will play Maya, who is, "strikingly attractive woman yet is icy and mysterious. She is a natural leader who immediately gives the impression that she is someone who expects results and is not to be messed around with." You'll soon see Mlambo in Roswell, New Mexico.
- Alexander Hodge will play Philky, described as, "ruggedly handsome with long raven hair, ink art on his body, and one born from a strong Chinese lineage. The character has had a rough history, who was once a homeless alcoholic from Gotham but now works as an inconspicuous bartender and an exceptionally gifted tech wiz helping Khalil." You likely saw Hodge on HBO's Insecure.
- James Roch plays the fun Cousin Donald. He is "larger-than-life, gentle giant who wears a distinct uniform – head-to-toe leather with matching boots – a juxtaposition of his military past. He was a medic in the Marines and knows medicine well but also has the ability of talking perspective to others. There is a duality about Cousin Donald, which is why he understands Khalil better than others." Roch was recently seen on NBC's The Night Shift.
Jordan Calloway will, of course, be leading the series. He will be joined by Salim Akil, who will transition to Painkiller once Black Lightning concludes, to serve as showrunner, director and executive producer on the series. Speaking of Akil, he recently revealed to SYFY that both Thunder and Lighting would likely appear in the series at some point. Does this mean that China Anne McClain isn't done playing Jennifer Pierce after all? First the series has to get picked up, then we can talk more about that.
Keep checking back for more casting updates, and my thoughts on the backdoor pilot.
Photo Credit: The CW