Javicia Leslie is heading to Gotham City. The “God Friended Me” actress has been named as the new lead of “Batwoman” following Ruby Rose’s exit from the CW series. A press release announced the news.
Slated to return for its second season in January 2021, “Batwoman’s” debut season centers on Kate Kane (Rose). After receiving a dishonorable discharge from the military, Kate returns to Gotham, vowing to protect the city, which has turned to chaos in the absence of her cousin, Bruce Wayne, who’s been missing for three years.
Rather than recasting Kate, the creative team behind “Batwoman” has opted to introduce a new character, Ryan Wilder.
Described as “likable, messy, a little goofy, and untamed,” Ryan is “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,” The CW details. “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.”
Leslie is is making history as the first Black actress to play 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,” said Leslie.
Kate is an out lesbian, and Rose publicly identifies as a lesbian. When word about Rose’s departure got out, The CW announced that it’d be casting “a new lead actress and member of the LGBTQ community.”
Best known for her role as Ali in CBS comedy “God Friended Me,” which concluded its two-season run earlier this year, Leslie’s other credits include “The Family Business” and “Always a Bridesmaid.”
