Less than two months after Ruby Rose went public with her shocking departure from The CW's Batwoman, the announcement was made that God Friended Me actress Javicia Leslie had been cast to fill the metaphorical boots as Batwoman's new lead (though not as Kate Kane). While Rose had maintained her silence on social media for days after she vacated the superhero role, the actress didn't waste any time in offering up her reaction to Leslie being cast as her replacement.
Hours after Batwoman announced its new star, Ruby Rose took to Instagram to shower some love down on Javicia Leslie for landing the highly coveted Arrowverse lead role. Here's what she had to say:
OMG!! This is amazing!! 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 !
I think it's safe to say that Ruby Rose sounded pleased about Javicia Leslie getting confirmed to make her debut as the newest member of the Bat-family within the Arrowverse. And for the most part, fans are in full agreement with everything that Rose stated there, especially about having a Black actress as the lead role. The show's casting team definitely sought out a new star that would not only fit in with Batwoman's LGBTQ+ lifestyle, but also one that would reflect the growing charge in the entertainment industry to spotlight diversity both in front of and behind the camera.
While Ruby Rose reportedly backed out of the Batwoman role due to displeasure with the work schedule, along with physical injuries adding physical discomfort, none of those soured feelings came through in her message to Javicia Leslie. (Understandably, of couse.) Instead, Rose championed her Arrowverse successor while speaking highly of Batwoman's cast and crew.
To be expected, Javicia Leslie was more excited than anyone about getting confirmed as TV's next Batwoman. Beyond the statement she provided for The CW's big casting announcement, Leslie took to social media to give an inspirational shout-out.
Fans initially expected for Batwoman to find a new actress to play the Kate Kane character that Ruby Rose developed throughout Season 1, but showrunner Caroline Dries announced soon after that the show would be introducing a brand new alter ego, with Kate's story remaining fully intact. With Javicia Leslie now cast, it will be extremely interesting to see how the show both introduces her character Ryan Wilder, and how it wraps up loose ties from how Kate's story ended in Season 1. Will Ryan have relationships – good or bad – with Dougray Scott's Jacob Kane or Rachel Skarsten's Alice?
Batwoman, which was previously announced as a major force in the next Arrowverse crossover, is set to return to The CW for Season 2 in 2021, with fans optimistic that production will still be able to start up this fall in Vancouver as planned. In the meantime, check out all the shows that are set for premieres later this year with our Fall 2020 TV premiere schedule.
