In just a few hours, Black Lightning will wrap up its four-season run on The CW. But late last year, the show’s producers announced plans to continue the story of Jordan Calloway’s Khalil Payne in a spinoff centering on his superhero persona, Painkiller. Unfortunately, Khalil’s journey might be at an end as well. Entertainment Weekly has confirmed that The CW isn’t moving forward with Calloway’s Painkiller series.
Calloway confirmed the news on his official Twitter account earlier today. In a new video, he thanked fans for their support and also reminded them to watch Black Lightning’s final episode later tonight. You can check out his full message to viewers below.
It’s a ‘No’, but it’s been a damn good run
TUNE IN TONIGHT pic.twitter.com/NRzTEu17rl— Jordan Calloway (@JordanCalloway1) May 24, 2021
RELATED: Three Actors Join Black Lightning’s Painkiller Spinoff on The CW
“For those of you that have not heard, Painkiller will not be going any further, so let’s rip that Band-Aid off now, okay?” said Calloway. “Now, what I wanted to do was just, very quickly, make a video saying thank you. Thank you to the fans, thank you to the supporters, thank you to CW, to WarnerMedia for affording me the opportunity to even do a spinoff. And, also, thank you most importantly to my cast, my crew, and of course, to my God.”
Black Lightning’s producers actually began sowing the seeds for a potential Painkiller spinoff in the current season’s seventh episode (also called “Painkiller”), which was conceived as a backdoor pilot. The episode also featured appearances by Sibongile Mlambo, Alexander Hodge, and James Roch as Maya, Philky, and Donald, respectively. All three actors would have reprised their roles if Painkiller had gone to series. But despite this latest news, the producers aren’t giving up on the show just yet. According to The Hollywood Reporter, they intend to shop the spinoff around to other homes. Presumably, HBO Max is at the top of that list.
Black Lightning’s series finale airs tonight at 9pm on The CW.
Are you sad to hear that Painkiller isn’t getting his own series on the network? Tell us what you think in the comment section below!
Recommended Reading: Black Lightning: Year One (New Edition)
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