Former Batwoman Star Ruby Rose Reacts to Javicia Leslie Casting
The biggest question surrounding The CW's Batwoman was answered on Wednesday, when it was [...]
The biggest question surrounding The CW's Batwoman was answered on Wednesday, when it was announced that Javicia Leslie will be playing the series' titular superhero in Season 2. The news comes after months of speculation following the exit of Ruby Rose, who portrayed Kate Kane/Batwoman in the show's debut season before stepping down earlier this year. If a new social media post is any indication, Rose is definitely a fan of her Batwoman successor. Rose recently took to Instagram to congratulate Leslie on "taking over the bat cape", saying that she's "so glad Batwoman will be played by an amazing Black woman".
Leslie, who is known for her roles on God Friended Me and The Family Business, will be portraying an entirely new character named Ryan Wilder. Ryan is described as likable, messy, a little goofy and untamed, she's also nothing like Kate Kane, the woman who wore the Batsuit before her. With no one in her life to keep her on track, Ryan spent years as a drug-runner, dodging the GCPD and masking her pain with bad habits. Today Ryan lives in her van with her plant. A girl who would steal milk for an alley cat and could also kill you with her bare hands, Ryan is the most dangerous type of fighter: highly skilled and wildly undisciplined. An out lesbian. Athletic. Raw. Passionate. Fallible. And very much not your stereotypical all-American hero.
"I am extremely proud to be the first Black actress to play the iconic role of Batwoman on television, and as a bisexual woman, I am honored to join this groundbreaking show, which has been such a trailblazer for the LGBTQ+ community," Leslie said in a statement.
In the months since Rose first announced her departure from the show, friends have been curious to see how the show would write out her character of Kate Kane.
"To be honest with you, I did consider the soap opera version for a hot minute, selfishly, because we had a couple episodes already written, and transition-wise, it would be seamless [since] we already started breaking season 2," showrunner Caroline Dries said in an interview last month. "But upon further reflection, and [Arrowverse producer] Greg [Berlanti] helped me make this call and he's way smarter than me about this sort of stuff, he's like, 'You know, I think we should just reboot the character in terms of reboot Batwoman as a different character.' Just to also respect everything that Ruby [Rose] put into the Kate Kane character."
Batwoman is scheduled to return with new episodes in January of 2021.
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