Painkiller (TV Series)

Painkiller was a planned TV series for The CW based on the DC Comics character of the same name, created by Tony Isabella and Eddie Newell. The show would have been a spin-off of the Black Lightning TV series.

Jordan Calloway, who first appeared as Painkiller on Black Lightning, was set to star in the series. Also cast in the pilot were Sibongile Mlambo as Maya, Alexander Hodge as Philky and James Roch as cousin Donald.

Episode 7 of season 4 of Black Lightning served as the pilot for Painkiller.

However, near the end of May 2021, news dropped that the network was not moving forward with the production.

The CW had offered this synopsis for the pilot episode: Khalil Payne is a young man ridden with the guilt of his troubled past from his former life in Freeland City, where, as a super-enhanced killing machine known as Painkiller, he was both a member of Tobias Whale’s gang and a weapon of Agent Odell and the shadowy ASA. After attempting to bury the darker, devastatingly lethal Painkiller part of his persona, Khalil has distanced himself away from everyone he knows and loves in a new city, Akashic Valley, in order to find peace…but peace never comes easy for men with pasts like Khalil Payne and Painkiller. As his violent, destructive history crashes his idyllic new beginning, Khalil is thrusted back into action with a new mission - bring justice where he once gave out punishment – but to do that, he will first have to deal with and harness his darker side, Painkiller.

Salim Akil wrote, executive produce and direct the pilot episode.