Ruby Rose Cast As DC Superhero Batwoman
Ruby Rose will be donning a batsuit as DC Comics superhero Batwoman, according to Variety.
The character will make her first appearance during the annual CW crossover event between superhero shows The Flash, Supergirl, and Arrow.
Batwoman, whose real name is Kate Kane, is an out lesbian and fierce street fighter. She is the first openly gay female superhero to have her own title at DC Comics.
“Armed with a passion for social justice and a flair for speaking her mind, Kate Kate soars onto the streets of Gotham as Batwoman,” reads the official logline according to Entertainment Weekly.
The CW is also developing a series based around Batwoman that would premiere in 2019 if it’s picked up by the network. Caroline Dries, who was a writer and producer on The Vampire Diaries, will be executive producing the series along with Greg Berlanti, Sarah Schecter, and Geoff Johns.
Rose rose to fame when she was cast as Stella in Netflix’s Orange is the New Black. She has also appeared in Pitch Perfect 3, XXX: The Return of Xander Cage, and John Wick: Chapter 2. She is co-starring alongside Jason Statham in The Meg, which premieres August 8.
Ruby Rose cast as The CW's Batwoman https://t.co/CHzokH5N7Z
— Entertainment Weekly (@EW) August 7, 2018
Rose, who identifies as genderfluid, has been open about her experiences growing up as an LGBTQ individual.
“I was just worried because I didn’t know it was a thing,” Ruby said in a 2017 interview with Sunday TODAY with Willie Geist and quoted in Teen Vogue. “I knew how I felt, I knew what I kind of identified as, but the words gay or lesbian, I didn’t know anyone else that was gay or lesbian, so I didn’t really know how to word it.
If the CW series is picked up, it will be the first series that centers on an LGBT superhero.
Black Lightning, another CW offering based on a DC Comics character, features Nafessa Williams as Anissa Pierce, the lesbian daughter of superhero Black Lightning. She has powers in her own right. Although she is important to the series, it is a supporting role.
The CW also recently cast TV’s first transgender superhero. Transgender activist and actress Nicole Maines will be joining Supergirl’s upcoming season to play Dreamer.
Berlanti, who executive produces many of The CW’s superhero shows, has made it a priority to tell LGBTQ stories.
“Even with the action shows, though, I’ve still tried to do my part in making those shows relevant where I can,” he said in an interview with The Hollywood Reporter.
