Primarily, Salim Akil is known for being a director. However, it should be mentioned that he has been both a producer and a screenwriter as well, which is perhaps unsurprising considering his partnership with his spouse Mara Brock Akil. Currently, Akil is working on Black Lightning, which is expected to start up soon on January 16 of 2018.
Here are five things that you may or may not have known about Salim Akil:
His Name Means “Safe”
Salim is a name that means something along the lines of “safe” and “intact.” As a result, it should come as no surprise to learn that it is related to a number of other popular names, with examples ranging from Salma to Selim. Meanwhile, Akil means something along the lines of “wise” and “intelligent.”
Is a Sufi Muslim
Both Akil and his spouse are practicing Sufis. For those who are curious, Sufism is not a particular sect of Islam but rather a particular side of Islam, with the result that there are both Sunni Muslims and Shia Muslims who see themselves as Sufis. Regardless, it is interesting to note that Sufism has an emphasis on asceticism, which helps its practitioners focus on their faith by disregarding worldlier matters.
Married to Mara Brock Akil
Speaking of his spouse, Akil is married to Mara Brock Akil, who is also involved in the entertainment industries as a producer as well as a screenwriter. In fact, it is interesting to note that the two met one another on Moesha, which was a sitcom that had been rejected by CBS but went on to become one of the biggest successes for UPN once it was picked up as a mid-season replacement. Mara Brock Akil was one of the writers for the sitcom, which is why it was referenced in some of her later series.
The Two Collaborate a Lot
Ever since they have gotten married, Akil and his spouse have been collaborating a lot when it comes to their work, thus making them that much more influential in their chosen profession as a team rather than on their own. For example, the two were responsible for co-producing a remake of Sparkle, which was released in 2012. Furthermore, the two were the creative force behind Being Mary Jane, which started up in 2013 and is set to conclude with a two-hour movie in 2018.
In Charge of Black Lightning
Currently, Akil and his spouse are in charge of Black Lightning, which is a series based on the titular superhero that will be broadcast on The CW. With that said, it is interesting to note that Black Lightning has a different setup from a lot of other superhero series out there. For example, Black Lightning starts out as a retired superhero serving as a principal, who returns to superheroing because of his daughter as well as a threat to one of his star students. Combined with the fact that Black Lightning will be featuring a predominantly African American cast written by a predominantly African American team, the results should be potentially very interesting to see.
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