She is the first Black woman to play Batwoman in live action.
Fans have been waiting for the CW to announce who will be filling Batwoman’s cowl and cape for season 2 after the sudden and unexpected departure of series lead Ruby Rose. Yesterday, the producers found their new lead in the form of God Friended Me actress Javica Leslie.
“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 press release on Wednesday.
While she is replacing Rose as show lead, Leslie will not be playing Kate Kane, the character Rose played in the first season. Rather, Leslie will play Ryan Wilder, a new character that takes over the mantle of Batwoman.
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.”
Batwoman is currently set to return to the small screen in January 2021.