The Vampire Diaries’ Paul Wesley to Direct Episode of Batwoman

The Vampire Diaries alum Paul Wesley is headed back to The CW, but not to step in front of the camera. According to Entertainment Weekly, Wesley is set to direct the upcoming 16th episode of Batwoman‘s first season. Wesley shared the news in a post to his Instagram story on Monday that also revealed that the episode is written by Daphne Miles. Other information about the episode – specifically the title – was blocked out.

For fans of The CW, Wesley may be best known for his role as good-hearted and charming vampire Stefan Salvatore on the network’s long-running and popular series The Vampire Diaries. Wesley made his directorial debut during The Vampire Diaries‘ fifth season directed four additional episodes of the series before it concluded. Beyond his work on The Vampire Diaries, Wesley has directed two episodes of Shadowhunters, an episode of Roswell, New Mexico, and an episode of The Vampire Diaries spinoff, Legacies. Outside of his work as a director, Wesley stars in CBS All Access’ Tell Me a Story which is currently in its second season.

It will be interesting to see what Wesley’s episode of Batwoman will hold for the character and the series. On Sunday night’s episode, the series’ first after “Crisis on Infinite Earths,” Batwoman (Ruby Rose) came out publicly not with her non-heroic identity but as a lesbian. It was a big moment for the series, something that showrunner Caroline Dries broke down in a recent interview.

“When I first signed on to do Batwoman, I was thinking about how this is a show about a woman who is super strong, super confident, and very comfortable with who she is as a lesbian,” Dries explained. “She’s a badass and she can fight people and she’s tough and she’s vulnerable and has a big heart — and then she goes and puts on a costume and hides all of those characteristics. She becomes a different person, essentially, and it’s still strong and badass, but she has now hidden all of the things that make Kate Kate.”

“…That narrative doesn’t quite work for me, and so I thought, well, if it’s not working for me, maybe it’s not working for Kate either. Kate is comfortable with who she is, and when she’s suited up, all she does is lie all day. And she’s not a liar,” Dries continued. “She’s just been told [on “Crisis on Infinite Earths”] that she’s the Paragon of Courage; she just helped put all these universes back together. I think she’s thinking, “I feel like I should, as Batwoman, have the courage to be who I really am.” She might be putting her secret identity in jeopardy or possibly making people who don’t like gay people hate her, but she still feels pulled to do it.”

Batwoman airs Sundays at 8/7c on The CW.

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