Australian model/actress Ruby Rose has been roped in to play Batwoman as part of The CW’s annual DC Arrowverse crossover event, between four of the network’s DC shows: The Flash, Arrow, Legends of Tomorrow and Supergirl, in December. (as Deadline reports)
After the character’s first appearance at the crossover event, Rose is also set to play the role in the solo Batwoman series, currently the CW has in development for next season. While the project is still in the script stage, it is likely to go to pilot and series.
Orange Is the New Black star Rose will return to the small screen as the first gay lead character — male or female — of a live-action superhero series. Batwoman already has been a trailblazer for LGBTQ+ representation in comics. After a long hiatus, she was reintroduced to the DC comic universe in 2006 when she was established as a Jewish lesbian, becoming the first-ever lesbian superhero title DC character.
Written by Caroline Dries based on the DC characters, the CW’s Batwoman will follow Kate Kane (Rose) armed with a passion for social justice and a flair for speaking her mind, 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, she’s yet to become a hero in a city desperate for a savior by overcoming her own demons before embracing the call to be Gotham’s symbol of hope.
Batwoman first appeared in the DC Comics universe in 1956 as a romantic interest for Batman to dispel suggestions of his homosexuality, mainly in response to Senate subcommittee hearings in 1954 investigating the impact of comic books on juvenile delinquency. On TV, Batwoman first appeared in animated series Batman: The Brave and the Bold, which premiered on Cartoon Network in 2008. As feature film, Batwoman appeared in Batman: Mystery of the Batwoman, voiced by Kyra Sedgwick in 2002.
Rose, who came out as a lesbian at the age of 12, has identified herself as genderfluid. In 2015, she wrote, produced, and starred in the short film Break Free, a tribute to gender fluidity, which became a huge hit, garnering more than 25 million views on YouTube. She also stars in the Warner Bros. action film The Meg, which opens this weekend.
Batwoman comes from Berlanti Productions in association with Warner Bros. Television. Caroline Dries executive produces alongside Berlanti’s Berlanti and Sarah Schechter as well as former DC Entertainment president Geoff Johns through his new Mad Ghost Productions banner.