The CW has found its new Batwoman! It has been announced that Javicia Leslie has landed the lead role on the series for season 2 after the departure of Ruby Rose.
Leslie will play a character named Ryan Wilder, becoming the first Black actress to play Batwoman in a live-action TV or film production. Leslie had this to say about landing the role:
“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.”
The plan was always to have a new actress come in as a new character after Rose decided to depart this summer ahead of season 2 instead of simply recasting her. Leslie’s character, Ryan Wilder, 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.”
Ruby Rose, showing class and solidarity, took to her Instagram page to congratulate Leslie which can be seen below:
Leslie co-starred on God Friended Me for two seasons which put her in the crosshairs of producer Greg Berlanti who produced that show &, of course, produces all things Arrowverse on The CW. Her credits also include BET’s The Family Business and feature film Always a Bridesmaid.
