Ruby Rose has been cast as Batwoman in a new series on The CW Network. The universe that accommodates the likes of Supergirl, Arrow and The Flash – will get its first homosexual superhero as a show’s lead character. Rose, who has earlier worked in action films like John Wick 2 and xXx: The return of Xander Cage, put out an Instagram post after the news became public calling the opportunity an ‘honour’ among other things.
Essaying the role of Kate Kane (Batwoman’s alter-ego), the Australian actor will make be introduced in a crossover episode of the CW network with all other superhero characters. In the comic book, Kane is known to be a handy street-fighter and always unafraid to speak her mind. Initially introduced as a love-interest for Batman in the 1950s, the character was rebooted as a lesbian with a Jewish descent in 2006. Kane is openly gay, with her love-interest being Gotham Police Detective, Renee Montoya.
This announcement comes only a month after the casting of Nicole Maines, as TV’s first transgender superhero in the show Supergirl. Warner Bros said it was a conscious decision both cases to represent the changing times. In her Instagram post, Rose explicitly spoke about representation – “this is something I would have died to have seen on TV when I was a young member of the LGBT community who never felt represented on television and felt alone and different.”
Rose, who began her career as a TV presenter on MTV Australia gained international recognition with Netflix series, Orange Is The New Black. Batwoman will see Caroline Dries (of Vampire Diaries fame) helming the highly anticipated show.
