Javicia Leslie has been officially cast as the new Batwoman, after Ruby Rose, the previous actress who played the character, departed after just one season.
Warner Bros Television, The CW, and Berlanti Productions issued the joint press release, with DC Comics’ posting the announcement through its official blog.
For good measure, Warner Bros Television and the Batwoman show also shared the news through their respective Twitter accounts.
According to the press release, Javicia Leslie will not be playing Kate Kane, the version of Batwoman that was portrayed for a single season by Ruby Rose.
Instead, Leslie will be taking on the role of a completely new character named Ryan Wilder who will be donning the mask of the Gotham crime fighter.
The 33-year-old star will now hold the distinction of being the first black actress to ever play Batwoman in a live-action television series or movie release.
.@JaviciaLeslie is Gotham's new hero. #Batwoman Season 2 is coming in 2021! pic.twitter.com/XUcy9ItlkS
— Batwoman (@CWBatwoman) July 9, 2020
Expanding her repertoire
Leslie is no stranger to small screen roles. As a matter of fact, some may be familiar with her turn as Jesse Colton in the MacGyver series.
Then from 2018 to 2019, she starred in The Family Business along with Ernie Hudson, Valarie Pettiford, and Armand Assante.
In the BET show, she plays Paris Duncan, the youngest daughter of the Duncan family, who not only knows how to party, but also handles herself pretty well in a firefight.
She would later tackle a bigger and meatier role in God Friended Me, which ran from 2018 until this year. That series saw her co-star with Brandon Micheal Hall, Violett Beane, and Joe Morton.
Venturing into the superhero genre
The upcoming Batwoman role will mark the first time in Leslie’s career that she plays a superhero character.
Fans of DC comics and the Batman universe will likely notice that the Ryan Wilder character does not exist at all in the comic books.
Per the press release, Wilder is being described as an out lesbian who is “likable, messy, a little goofy and untamed,” which might suggest that she probably won’t be inviting comparisons to Ruby Rose’s Kate Kane soon.
She is said to have been a drug-runner for several years, but is now living in her van with nothing but her plant for company.
In terms of fighting skills, she is a highly proficient and athletic combatant, but rather undisciplined and a bit rough around the edges.
Batwoman’s first season focused on Kate Kane’s dealings with her evil sister Alice, and their dad Jacob,
As for the second season, there obviously are some changes in order, considering that the story will now follow Wilder’s point of view.
Still, the Arrowverse is no stranger to introducing new and interesting characters over the years, and a fresh character like Wilder’s version of Batwoman is most certainly welcome.
Featured image courtesy of DC Comics