‘Batwoman’ Pilot Ordered, Becoming First Superhero Show To Feature LGBTQ Lead Character

The CW announced on Thursday that it has ordered a pilot for a stand-alone Batwoman series, marking the network’s sixth superhero drama. This hero in particular, though, is likely to make history – the series, if greenlit past the pilot, will star Ruby Rose, an openly LGBTQ actor and advocate for the LGBTQ community, as the openly gay main character. Batwoman would be the first broadcast superhero series to do this, E! News reported.

The pilot will be written by Caroline Dries of The Vampire Diaries and directed by David Nutter of Game of Thrones, Flash, and Arrow. Dries and Nutter will also be executive producers, along with Greg Berlanti, Sarah Schechter, and Geoff John.

This won’t be Rose’s first run as the DC comic hero. The Orange is the New Black star appeared just a few weeks ago in The CW’s DC three-series crossover, called Elseworlds, as Batwoman and Kate Kane, the heroine’s alterego.

The CW’s official description, according to Hollywood Reporter, reads, “Armed with a passion for social justice and a flair for speaking her mind, Kate Kane [Rose] soars onto the streets of Gotham as Batwoman, an out lesbian and highly trained street fighter primed to snuff out the failing city’s criminal resurgence. But don’t call her a hero yet. In a city desperate for a savior, Kate must overcome her own demons before embracing the call to be Gotham’s symbol of hope.”

Although it is just the pilot that is currently in the works, a Batwoman series is highly favored. In a poll conducted by the Hollywood Reporter after the Elsewords crossover event ended, 85 percent of voters (over 2,000) wanted to see a Batwoman stand-alone series.

Discussion of a possible Batwoman stand-alone series at The CW also began before the Elseworlds crossover even aired.

Of course, Rose’s debut role as the hero did not come without backlash. The star decided to quit Twitter after fans of Batwoman accused Rose of not being a lesbian, not being Jewish (as the character Kate Kane is Jewish), and not being a good enough actor for the role, the New York Times reported in August. Rose did respond to accusations regarding her sexuality, explaining that she came out when she was 12, and pointed out that for much of her career she has been told she is “too gay” for some roles.

“How do y’all flip like that? I didn’t change,” Rose said of the comments.

Then, she announced that she would be deleting her account to focus on her upcoming projects.

The annual hero crossover event will re-air starting Monday, January 7, on The CW.