Ruby Rose (Orange Is the New Black, John Wick: Chapter 2) who plays the lead role in The CW’s (Nancy Drew, The 100) Batwoman has unexpectedly abandoned the role after completing one season, The Hollywood Reporter confirms. The announcement of Rose’s departure from the dramatic series came only a couple of days after the show’s season finale.
While Batwoman was renewed for a second season in January and already had a anchoring slot on The CW’s Sunday night beginning in early 2021, producers of Warner Bros. TV (Supergirl, Riverdale) and Berlanti Productions (DC’s Legends of Tomorrow, The Flash) have yet to determine a proper timeline for the new proceeding actress to occupy the role.
Rose’s sudden parting from the series is not unusual to her past inconsistencies. In Comic Con of 2019, Rose, who was supposed to make an appearance on The CW’s Batwoman panel, but failed to show. Her absence was inherently due to her strenuous and demanding shooting schedule, claiming that there was no way she could have made an appearance because of it. September of 2019 was also unfortunate for Rose, as she underwent surgery for injuries she sustained from performing stunts on Batwoman. Rose, however, took to Instagram and posted a video of the surgery claiming that she jokingly “wanted to see what happens when we go under.” This was after she referenced her procedure to a Grey’s Anatomy episode where a patient was left with a towel inside of them after also undergoing surgery.
Yet, the former Batwoman has her own reluctances on choosing not to return to the show and declares that the decision was not made half-heartedly. According to statement she made, she has “the utmost respect for the cast, crew and everyone involved with the show in both Vancouver and in Los Angeles.”
With deep appreciation, she sends her gratitude to the show’s executive producers, Greg Berlanti (Love, Simon, The Flash) and Sarah Schechter (Black Lightning, Chilling Adventures of Sabrina) producer and creator, Caroline Dries (The Vampire Diaries, Smallville) and producer Geoff Johns (Wonderwoman, Aquaman) for or not only extending her the “incredible opportunity, but for welcoming [her] into the DC universe they have so beautifully created.”
The CW, Warner Bros. TV and Berlanti Productions also express their appreciation for Rose’s involvement on the series by thanking “Ruby for her contribution to the success of our first season and wish her all the best.” They assure that they are “firmly committed to Batwoman’s second season and long-term future, and we- along with the show’s talented creative team- look forward to sharing its new direction, including the casting of a new lead actress and member of the LGBTQ community, in the coming months.”
The DC series was centered on Rose’s Kate Kane, a cousin of Bruce Wayne’s who eventually embodies the Batwoman archetype to restore peace and order to Gotham City after vigilante, Batman, disappears. According to The Hollywood Reporter, the series made history as the first scripted live-action TV series to feature a lesbian superhero.
Like most productions post-COVID-19, Batwoman was forced to halt its season early, only finishing 20 of 22 planned episodes, The Hollywood Reporter sources assert. There are currently no further updates regarding possible lead talent for the second season, nor its new expected premiere date.