Batwoman Showrunner On Why They’re Not Recasting Kate Kane After Ruby Rose’s Exit

Batwoman will be leaving its primary character behind in the wake of Ruby Rose’s exit, and showrunner Caroline Dries explained why they’re not recasting the role. As previously reported, the CW show will be creating a new character rather than recast the role after Rose decided to exit the series and Dries explained during the virtual ATX Television Festival per Give Me My Remote why they have decided to go in that direction for the upcoming second season.

“So, to be honest with you, I did consider the soap opera version [recasting] for a hot minute, selfishly, because we had a couple episodes already written, and transition-wise, it would be seamless [since] we already started breaking season 2,” Dries said. “But upon further reflection, and 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.’ Just to also respect everything that Ruby [Rose] put into the Kate Kane character.”

Rose reportedly departed the show in a “mutual exit.” There is still speculation on the reasons for the exit, though Rose shot down the idea that she left due to difficulty acclimating into Vancouver for the shoot. The new character is currently named in casting breakdowns as “Ryan Wilder” and is described as:

“She’s likable, messy, a little goofy and untamed. She’s also nothing like Kate Kane, the woman who wore the batsuit before her. 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.”

Dries also said that a new character will help audiences transition to seeing a new face on screen, noting, “I just think it helps the audience a little bit, too, that we’re not asking them to not address the elephant in the room. I’m inventing a whole new character. In her past, she was inspired by Batwoman. She is going to take on the mantle and is completely maybe not be the right person at the time to be doing it. That’s what makes it fun.”

Batwoman will return for its second season, along with most of the CW shows, in January 2022.