When Batwoman returns to TV screens in 2021, it won’t just be a change in the lead actress that is the only difference.
With the departure of Ruby Rose from Batwoman, the natural assumption was that a new actress would be brought in to play Kate Kane. Even the statements from the production leaned that way, so it was natural to believe things would continue, just with a new face.
In a now-deleted Reddit post – and later confirmed by TV Line – a casting break down was leaked for a character named “Ryan Wilder.” The new character is described as being in her mid-20s and she “is about to become Batwoman.”
The casting breakdown continues that “she’s likable, messy, a little goofy and untamed. She’s also nothing like Kate Kane, the woman who wore the batsuit before her.” It goes on to say, “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. A girl who would steal milk for an alley cat 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.”
A complete change in who wears the batsuit is going to set up a lot of questions for the remainder of the story. With the exception of Luke Fox (Camru s Johnson), every character had a pre-existing relationship with Kate Kane. Mary (Nicole Kang) was her step-sister, Sophie (Meagan Tandy) was her ex-girlfriend, Jacob (Dougray Scott) was her father, and, most importantly, Alice/Beth (Rachel Skarsten) was her twin sister. The sibling connection between Kate and Beth was the driving force of season one.
There is also that pesky fact Kate is Bruce Wayne’s cousin which gave her some access to his resources without too many questions.
How you go about plopping an entirely new character into this story is going to be a huge question. We are definitely wondering why it won’t just be a recasting of the Kate role, but we’ll just have to wait and see how this plays out.
SOURCE: Decider
