Batwoman EPs Explain Why Javicia Leslie Is Perfect for the New Batwoman

There's already quite a lot of hype surrounding the upcoming second season of Batwoman, as Javicia [...]

By Jenna Anderson

There's already quite a lot of hype surrounding the upcoming second season of Batwoman, as Javicia Leslie steps into the series' titular role. Leslie, who is best known for her roles on God Friended Me and The Family Business, will be portraying an entirely new character named Ryan Wilder, taking over the role after the departure of Ruby Rose's Kate Kane. While fans have yet to see Leslie officially suit up as Batwoman, people are pretty eager to see her take on the iconic role -- a sentiment that was apparently shared by the show's cast and crew. During the show's panel as part of DC FanDome: Explore the Multiverse, showrunner Caroline Dries and executive producer Sarah Schechter revealed their initial reactions to Leslie's audition for the role.

"When Javicia auditioned, it was obvious to everyone watching the tape in like five seconds," Dries explained. "[It was] over Zoom and I texted somebody on the computer in the chat like 'Oh she gets it!' It just was so clear that Javicia was meant for this role. And then when I talked to her she said, 'You know, I feel like I am Ryan. My friend heard me audition and she was like 'Yo, you are Ryan.'' It just feel like destiny, which is kind of one of the themes of the season."

"And then the other thing she did, which I didn't even see until after I knew she was Batwoman, was she had this athlete reel or athleticism reel, of all of like a montage of all of her [stunt]," Dries added. "One of the things that she did was pushing this giant tire over, with like somersaults. And I was like, 'Oh my gosh, all I needed to do is see you.' I told her 'You had me a tire flip.' She just brings everything, sort of - intellect, emotion, heart, athetics. Everything you know you want in your hero. I think she had to do a really hard thing which is take a role for a script that didn't exist yet. And she was willing to trust us with it. So that's awesome."

"All I will say that I probably had the fastest yes to Javicia. Before I saw the audition and I just saw her name, because I knew her work so well from God Friended Me. So I was like, 'Oh, Javicia!'"

Are you excited to see Javicia Leslie suit up as Batwoman? Share your thoughts with us in the comments below!

Batwoman is expected to return with new episodes in 2021.

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