Javicia Leslie has become TV’s first Black Batwoman. She is the new lead actress in the CW TV show’s second season. Leslie will play Ryan Wilder and CW TV has just released two images of the new Batwoman suit redesigned and we are so here for it!
According to Hollywood Reporter, Leslie’s new role makes Batwoman the first scripted live-action TV series to feature a lesbian superhero at the top of the call sheet.
The shiny chic suit is the first original design for the new Batwoman and it will make its debut in Season 2, Episode 3.
The actress shared the news with her followers on Monday.
Blackwoman, I mean Batwoman is here 🦇 @CWBatwoman @DCComics pic.twitter.com/qNIJ3Yx4m2
— Javicia Leslie (@JaviciaLeslie) October 26, 2020
Leslie, the first Black actress to portray the character in a live-action TV show or film, had previously starred in the US comedy-drama “God Friended Me”.
According to producers, the new Batwoman would be “nothing like Kate Kane, the woman who wore the Bat suit before her” and “not your stereotypical all-American hero”. The character is a former drug runner who now lives in a van.
This Afro-loving Batwoman is goals and the suit was tailored to match the personality of the wearer, Leslie. It was created by Ocean Drive Leather and conceptualized by Maya Mani. Janice Workman made the wig and Cory Roberts was on the face beat.
“I love the fact that Ryan is becoming her own Batwoman — it’s her style, her swag, and her moment,” Leslie said in a statement.
“I felt it was important that viewers could tell by the silhouette that Batwoman was a Black girl. With the form-fitting suit and beautiful Afro, we definitely nailed it!”
Set in Gotham City, Batwoman follows the rise of a new crime-fighting hero in the years after Batman’s disappearance. Season two is expected to premiere early next year. Batwoman is shown in the UK on E4.