Ruby Rose Cast As Batwoman In the CW’s DC Crossover…

The character will make her first appearance as part of The CW’s annual DC Arrowverse crossover event in December. Rose also is set to play the role in the Batwoman series the CW has in development for next season.

While the project is still in the script stage, with a star of Rose’s caliber attached and DC Universe architect Greg Berlanti behind it, it is likely to go to pilot and series.

One of the draws for Orange Is the New Black alumna Rose to return to the small screen likely was the opportunity to break new ground. If the project goes to series, Batwoman will become the first gay lead character — male or female — of a live-action superhero series.

In the CW’s Batwoman, written by Caroline Dries based on the DC characters, armed with a passion for social justice and a flair for speaking her mind, Kate Kane (Rose) soars onto the streets of Gotham as Batwoman, an out lesbian and highly trained street fighter primed to snuff out the failing city’s criminal resurgence. But don’t call her a hero yet.

In a city desperate for a savior, Kate must overcome her own demons before embracing the call to be Gotham’s symbol of hope.

The character Batwoman began appearing in DC Comics stories beginning with Detective Comics #233 in 1956, in which she was introduced as a love interest for Batman.

On TV, Batwoman first appeared in animated series Batman: The Brave and the Bold, which premiered on Cartoon Network in 2008.

On film, Batwoman appeared in Batman: Mystery of the Batwoman, voiced by Kyra Sedgwick, a 2002 direct-to-video animated film based on animated series The New Batman Adventures.

Batwoman also made a cameo in direct-to-video superhero film Batman vs. Robin and appeared in 2016’s Batman: Bad Blood, voiced by Yvonne Strahovski.

Following her breakout role as Stella Carlin on Netflix’s Orange Is the New Black, Rose made the transition to features with major roles in Vin Diesel’s XXX: The Return of Xander Cage, Resident Evil; Final Chapter, John Wick: Chapter Two, and Pitch Perfect 3.  She next stars in the Warner Bros. action film The Meg, which opens this weekend. She is repped by UTA, Art2Perform, and attorney Howard Fishman.