Batwoman Season 2 lead Javicia Leslie revealed that she did not speak with former lead Ruby Rose before stepping onto the set of the DC television series.
Rose, who played the character Kate Kane in Batwoman Season 1, left The CW's DC superhero series after its first season last year. During an interview with Variety to promote the upcoming Season 2, Leslie was asked if she spoke to Rose about the challenges of playing the titular crime-fighter prior to arriving on set, to which Leslie simply replied "No, I didn't talk with her."
Last August, Rose shed some light on her decision to leave Batwoman after a single season, citing both the ongoing coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic and the challenges of going back to work shortly after she underwent back surgery for a stunt-related injury she suffered while filming Season 1. She later expanded on her reasoning, saying she felt the biggest factor was last March's pandemic lockdowns prevented the show's cast and crew from completing Season 1. After that, "we went into lockdown with COVID and thinking of it in quarantine and lockdown, there was a lot of thought and reflection and kind of everyone did it," according to Rose.
Leslie will star in Batwoman Season 2 as Ryan Wilder, a character who is described as being "nothing like Kate Kane". When Variety asked Leslie what she found the most challenging about working on Batwoman without a "hand-off" from Rose, Leslie replied "I was coming from doing two television series at the same time, God Friended Me and The Family Business, and not only was I doing them at the same time, but they were on different coasts, so I came from already busting my ass and really working hard. So really, this is all of that but without having to do all the flying!"
According to the Batwoman Season 2 premiere's official synopsis, the episode will introduce Ryan as "a homeless 25-year old" who stumbles upon Kate's old Batsuit and decides to use it as armor to battle a new gang on the streets of Gotham City called the False Face Society. At the same time, Kate's friends and family will be reeling in the aftermath of her sudden and inexplicable disappearance, even as they continue to "hold on to hope that Kate may still be found."
Batwoman stars Javicia Leslie, Rachel Skarsten, Meagan Tandy, Camrus Johnson, Dougray Scott and Nicole Kang. Season 2 premieres on Sunday, Jan. 17 at 8 p.m. ET/PT on The CW.
Source: Variety