Last month, we learned that Ruby Rose has decided not to return as Kate Kane in season two of Batwoman, and while most fans assumed that The CW would just find a new actress to play the character, that's not the plan. Instead, a completely new character will don the cape and cowl.
During a recent conversation at the ATX Television Festival (via Give Me My Remote), Batwoman showrunner Caroline Dries explained what led to the decision not to simply recast Kate Kane.
"I did consider the soap opera version 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 explained. "But upon further reflection, and [executive producer] 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."
Dries would go on to say that she hopes "Ryan Wilder" will help fans accept the fact that it's someone else in Batwoman's costume. "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."
What we don't know is how the first season's lingering cliffhangers will be resolved, what this means for the show's supporting cast (why would Kate's father and sister be of interest to fans now?), and how Kate's disappearance will be explained. With that in mind, it might have been easier to just recast the role, but Dries clearly has a lot of ideas for how this can work moving forward.
What do you guys think?