The wait is over. Javicia Leslie will officially replace Ruby Rose as Batwoman when the show returns for its second season in 2021.
With her casting, Javicia 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,” said Leslie. “As a bisexual woman, I am honored to join this groundbreaking show which has been such a trailblazer for the LGBTQ+ community.”
She will be portraying Ryan Wilder, a brand new character created for the show. The studio’s description of the new Batwoman is as follows:
She’s likable, messy, a little goofy and untamed. She’s also 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. 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.
Javicia will make her debut in the iconic cape and cowl when Batwoman returns to The CW for its second season in January 2021.