The CW's Batwoman Will Replace Ruby Rose's Character With New Lead
In mid-May, the CW made a surprising announcement: Ruby Rose, the actress who played Kate Kane in its new Batwoman TV show, has exited the series after its first season. The show will go on without Rose, but fans have been concerned over how the change will be handled. We've been anticipating a recast of the main role, but it turns out the Kane won't be returning at all.
Rose played the lead character Kate Kane, the fictional superhero known as Batwoman. With her exit from the show, the reasons for which are murky, fans have wondered how the team behind the show would handle the change. Recasting a new actor in a show isn't entirely new — notable examples can be found in various sitcoms — but it would be a rare thing to do for a lead character in a freshman show.
Rather than dealing with that awkwardness, which could potentially tank the series, the team has decided to get rid of the Kate Kane character entirely and replace her with a new lead female character named Ryan Wilder. A casting call has been put out for interested actresses, ones who will, ideally, be queer.
In the casting document, Wilder is described as...
...likable, messy, a little goofy, and untamed. 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, reformed and sober, Ryan lives in a van with her plant. A girl who would steal milk from an alley cat and could also kill you with her bare hands, Ryan is the most dangerous type of fighter: highly skilled and wildly disciplined. An out lesbian. Athletic. Raw. Passionate. Fallible. And very much not your stereotypical All-American hero.
It's unclear why Rose decided to exit the series after a single season — no official details have been provided. However, a recent report from TV Line claims that Rose wasn't happy with the work and that, the source alludes, she may have been less than pleasant to work with as a result. The departure is described as a mutual decision between Rose and the production team.