Black Lightning made headlines in the Arrowverse this summer when it was revealed that the Cress Williams drama was participating in Crisis on Infinite Earths, but now Williams has revealed that the announcement was accidentally leaked – by him. Major announcements related to the upcoming Arrowverse crossover are usually closely controlled by Warner Bros. TV, with spoilers rarely leaking out. Since Black Lightning went from Fox to The CW in 2017, the series has played a growing role in the network’s DC TV line-up. Recognized for its diversity and storylines that touch on social issues, the series has largely existed outside of the primary Arrowverse. Centered on Jefferson Pierce and created by Tony Isabella and Trevor Von Eeden, it’s Greg Berlanti’s only DC show on The CW that hasn’t played into Arrowverse’s Multiverse. While open to the idea of a crossover, series creator Salim Akil wanted Black Lightning to exist and establish its own world first.

In the first two seasons, the show followed Jefferson becoming Freeland’s greatest protector as his two daughters began developing their own abilities. At this point in the series, Anissa (Nafessa Williams) and Jennifer (China Anne McClain) have come into their roles as Thunder and Lightning respectively. While the drama has dropped DC Easter eggs, Black Lightning has continued to remain a standalone series. As the show fleshed out its world, fan demands for a crossover became louder each year. A majority of press interviews with the cast always included the question of when there might be a crossover. As the Arrowverse prepares for the much-hyped Crisis on Infinite Earths crossover, Black Lightning will finally join the DC TV multiverse.

At the start of August, Williams confirmed that the series was officially joining The CW’s 5-hour event, but with a twist. The network had yet to officially reveal Black Lightning’s involvement in the crossover at that point. The following day at the TCA Summer Press Tour, The CW president Mark Pedowitz unveiled the announcement. It didn’t take long until it became clear that Williams had spoken too soon. In a new interview with DC Comics, the actor opened up about how he accidentally revealed the Crisis on Infinite Earths spoiler without realizing it:

According to The CW, Williams will be joined other characters from Freeland in the crossover. Williams has shared his excitement in joining his fellow DC TV stars in Vancouver, Canada during production on social media. Crisis on Infinite Earths is scheduled to begin on Sunday, December 8 with Supergirl, followed by Batwoman on Monday, December 9. Then, The Flash will finish the first half of the event on Tuesday, December 10. Arrow and Legends of Tomorrow will complete the crossover on Tuesday, January 14, 2020. The team-up is shaping up to be the biggest crossover yet for the Arrowverse, although dedicated Black Lightning fans may wonder why Batwoman has been brought into the fold so quickly.

Our producer and the creator of our show called me earlier in the week and told me, “So this is happening, and don’t say anything. They’re going to announce it. I feel like he said they would announce it in a couple of days, and that was maybe a Tuesday or Wednesday. Then the weekend came and I saw this article, and so I just assumed that they announced it and that the article was official, and I tweeted it out immediately. Probably within 15 minutes I got a phone call and they’re like, “Well, who told you to do that?” And I said “Well, it was an article.” And they said, “Maybe you should take it down.” So, I started to take it down and then like two minutes later I got another phone call. “Uh no, instead on second thought, don’t take it down.” I said, “I already took it down, so I’ll put it back up again.” It’s interesting trying to keep secrets.

Source: DC Comics