The CW Passes On ‘Painkiller’ & Orders Ava DuVernay’s ‘Naomi’ To Series

The CW announced they are passing on DC’s Painkiller Black Lightning spin-off and ordering Ava DuVernay’s Naomi straight to series.

On Monday, The CW revealed the status of their future DC slate. The network recently debuted Superman and Lois but also passed on the Green Arrow and the Canaries series. In their announcement, The CW shared that they will be welcoming Naomi, which comes from former New Gods director Ava DuVernay, with a series order. DuVernary reacted to the news on Twitter by sharing the following:

Meanwhile, Black Lightning is ending after four seasons, but The CW developed a spin-off series centered on Painkiller. Black Lightning‘s final season even included a backdoor pilot for the Painkiller series in its seventh episode. In addition to the news of picking up Ava DuVernay’s Naomi, The CW is not moving forward with Painkiller. However, there’s still hope for the DC series, with The Hollywood Reporter stating the spin-off could find a home at HBO Max. Painkiller actor Jordan Calloway shared his thoughts on the spin-off series not being picked up by the network on Twitter:

Will you be checking out Ava DuVernay’s Naomi when it premieres on The CW? Do you hope Painkiller gets picked up by HBO Max? Sound-off in the comments section below!

Here is the synopsis for Black Lightning:

As a father and principal of a high school that also serves as a safe haven in a neighborhood overrun by violence, Jefferson Pierce is a hero to his community. He’s also a hero of a different sort. Gifted with the superhuman power to harness and control electricity, he keeps his hometown safe as the masked vigilante Black Lightning.

Black Lightning stars Cress Williams, China Anne McClain, Nafessa Williams, Christine Adams, Marvin “Krondon” Jones III, Damon Gupton, James Remar, Jordan Calloway, and Chantal Thuy.

Black Lightning finale premieres tonight on The CW. Stay tuned for all the latest news surrounding Ava DuVernay’s Naomi, and make sure you subscribe to our YouTube channel for more video content in the future!

Sources: Ava DuVernary, Jordan Calloway, and The Hollywood Reporter