Caroline Dries, showrunner of The CW’s Batwoman , is offering an explanation about the recasting of Ruby Rose as Kate Kane, according to a report from Screen Rant .
There has been quite a bit of uncertainty in the Arrowverse after Rose announced her departure from Batwoman in a cryptic Instagram post, as previously reported by The Inquisitr . That uncertainty only increased when it was later announced that the main role of the series would be recast, but the woman in charge of the series is trying to clear things up for fans.
While speaking at the virtual ATX Television Festival, Dries said the character of Batwoman won’t be recast but will be replaced with a completely new heroine.
“I’m inventing a whole new character,” she confirmed. “In her past, she was inspired by Batwoman. She is going to take on the mantle and is completely maybe not the right person at the time to be doing it. That’s what makes it fun.”
She went on to admit that she did consider just recasting the role and ignoring the fact that the actor had been changed, but later opted to go in a different direction. She said since the writing team had already started working on Season 2’s plots and the first few episodes had been written, the transition would have been seamless, but it wasn’t ideal.
“Upon further reflection,” she continued, “and [executive producer] Greg Berlanti helped me make this call — and he’s way smarter than me about this sort of stuff — he’s like, ‘You know, I think we should just reboot the character in terms of reboot Batwoman as a different character.’”
Both Dries and Berlanti agreed this would be the best way forward for the series and the role of Kate Kane in the Arrowverse.
The first season of Batwoman followed Kate Kane as she adjusted to life as Gotham’s new vigilante after the disappearance of Batman. During the season, Kate and the rest of The Bat Team tackled a number of evildoers, and Season 2 will likely kick things up a notch with the introduction of new villains. It’s believed that the main villain for the second season will be Safiyah, the leader of the pirate nation of Coryana.
Dries said “lesbian pirates” have been requested by countless fans, and she’s always looking for ways to bring fan ideas into the series. She went on to say that she loved the character of Safiyah in the comics and is “really kind of teeing her up to be our baddie in Season 2.”
The show is expected to return by early 2021, and viewers can expect to see more of Luke, played by Camrus Johnson, Mary, played by Nicole Kang, Sophie, played by Megan Tandy, and Julia, played by guest star Christina Wolfe.