Ruby Rose reacts to Batwoman casting Javicia Leslie as new lead: 'This is amazing!'
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Ruby Rose is officially passing the torch to Batwoman's new star, Javicia Leslie.
On Wednesday, the CW superhero series announced that the God Friended Me alum would be taking over the lead role after Rose exited at the end of season 1. And Rose shared her excitement on Instagram that Leslie landed the role of Ryan Wilder, a.k.a. the next woman to take up the mantle of Batwoman.
"OMG!! This is amazing!!" Rose wrote. "I am so glad Batwoman will be played by an amazing Black woman. I want to congratulate Javicia Leslie on taking over the bat cape. You are walking into an amazing cast and crew. I can't wait to watch season 2 you are going to be amazing !!"
Katie Yu/The CW; Paul Archuleta/Getty Images
Leslie is the first Black actress to play the DC Comics heroine in live-action as she steps into the void left by Rose, who portrayed Batwoman/Kate Kane in the opening season. In addition to starring on God Friended Me, Leslie's previous credits include BET's The Family Business, MacGyver, and the film Always a Bridesmaid.
"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.
As EW previously reported, Ryan Wilder is described as being nothing like Kate Kane: "She's likable, messy, a little goofy, and untamed. 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."
Although Ryan is becoming the new Batwoman, showrunner Caroline Dries has promised that the series won't forget about Kate Kane.
"As a lesbian who's been working as a writer for the past fifteen years, I'm well aware of the 'Bury Your Gays' trope and I have no interest in participating in it," Dries said in a statement when it was announced the series wasn't recasting Rose's role. "That's why it's important to me as the showrunner to clarify any misinformation out there about Kate Kane and recasting Batwoman. Like you, I love Kate Kane — she's the reason I wanted to do the show. We'll never erase her. In fact, her disappearance will be one of the mysteries of season 2. I don't want to give away any of our surprises, but to all our devoted fans, please know that LGBTQ+ justice is at the very core of what Batwoman is and we have no intention of abandoning that."
Leslie will make her debut when Batwoman returns in January.
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