Leslie to portray new ‘Batwoman’
“Batwoman” will have a whole new look when the superhero drama series returns for its second season next winter on The CW.
The network, along with Warner Bros. Television and Berlanti Productions, announced Wednesday that Javicia Leslie will take on the iconic cape and cowl in the series. With her casting, Leslie becomes the first Black actress to portray Batwoman in a live-action television or film production.
“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.
She also acknowledged her hiring in an Instagram post, writing: “For all of the little Black girls dreaming to be a superhero one day… it’s possible!”
Leslie takes over the series lead from Ruby Rose, who played Kate Kane and her superhero alter ego, Batwoman, in Season 1 of the series inspired by the DC Comics saga. Rose stunned fans when she announced her departure from the show in May. Leslie will play a new character named Ryan Wilder.
She is described as “likable, messy, a little goofy and untamed.” She’s also nothing like Rose’s Kate Kane, The CW said.
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. These days, Ryan lives in her van with her plant. She’s “a highly skilled and wildly undisciplined fighter — a girl who would steal milk for an alley cat and could also kill you with her bare hands.”
She is an out lesbian, athletic, raw, passionate, fallible, not your “stereotypical All-American hero.” Rose praised the casting, writing on Instagram, “This is amazing!! I’m so glad Batwoman will be played by an amazing Black woman.”
Before joining “Batwoman,” Leslie starred on the CBS series “God Friended Me,” which aired for two seasons. She also starred in the BET series “The Family Business” and the film “Always a Bridesmaid.”