The CW’s “Batwoman” has seen a lot of action and drama on and behind the scenes in its first season. The largest amount of drama being the surprise and abrupt exit of the series’ star, Ruby Rose. Immediately, The CW began looking to recast for a lead, opting not to base the series on Kate Kane, but instead a new Batwoman all together underneath the cape and cowl.
Now The CW’s “Batwoman” has announced that African-American actress, Javicia Leslie, has been cast as the new Batwoman, as reposted on the series main Twitter page from Deadline.
.@JaviciaLeslie has been cast as the new #Batwoman https://t.co/xHbE73BlwU
— Deadline Hollywood (@DEADLINE) July 8, 2020
Batwoman producers Warner Bros. Television and Berlanti Productions did not look far to find their new Batwoman — Leslie is coming off a two-season run as a series regular on the Berlanti Prods./WBTV drama for CBS God Friended Me.
With Leslie’s casting, Batwoman continues to break new ground.
via Deadline
“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.
Batwoman premiered last fall as the first superhero series in television history to feature an avowed LGBTQ character as the central character. Following Rose’s departure, the producers vowed to cast another LGBTQ actor in the role.
As Deadline previously reported, Leslie will play a new character in the title role who will succeed Rose’s Kate Kane. Leslie will portray Ryan Wilder who is about to become Batwoman. She’s 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.
We have to say we are looking forward to seeing Javicia as Batwoman. It definitely takes the character in a new direction and even away from the source material in DC Comics. The CW prides itself on diversity. It certainly is doing that by casting a Black and bisexual woman in this role. (The show did promise the next actress would be LGBT as well.) This is not Javicia’s first LGBT-related role as she played a lesbian on “God Friended Me” before it was canceled on CBS.
We also hope fan reaction to the new casting is somewhat kind. We know fanboys and fangirls can be quite brutal when it comes to their favorite superheroes being altered. Now, the final question is what will Kate Kane’s ultimate fate be. Will Ruby Rose reprise her role just long enough for her to say a proper goodbye to the character she brought to life?
