Everyone from the world of Batwoman is adjusting to the news that leading lady Ruby Rose will be departing after one season. It’s come as a shock to many, and leaves the showrunners with a logistical challenge for the already-commissioned second season.
Executive producer Marc Guggenheim recently discussed how he thinks the crew will deal with that challenge in a new interview with Collider, and here’s what he had to say about Rose’s departure, and what he sees as a “great creative opportunity”:
It’s funny, I think it’s both. I was talking to one of the Batwoman writers, the other day, and we were saying how, in this, is a great creative opportunity. I think there’ll be people who come to the show, quite frankly, just to see how the writers choose to handle this. I’m a big believer that anytime you face a production challenge, and sometimes it’s in cast while sometimes it’s just logistics, in that challenge, lies a creative opportunity.
I was actually talking about that with Beth Schwartz, the other day. We were talking about how, once production presumes posts the pandemic, how are we going to work with all these different limitations? And it’s the exact same thing, which is that, in those limitations and in those challenges lie the chance to do something new and different, and come up with a clever creative solution. That, to me, is the fun part of the job.
The immediate objective will obviously be to recast the role and integrate the prospective replacement into the show. One imagines that in Batwoman’s case the change won’t be referenced – there’s no reason to, after all. Guggenheim isn’t wrong when he says adversity can lead to great creativity, either.
The most notable TV precedent came way back in 1966, when writers on Doctor Who devised an ingenious way to keep the show going without original Doctor William Hartnell – by writing the change into the fabric of the character (you all know what regeneration is). With Batwoman, there’s no need for any such theatrics, jarring though it may be for continuity.
Tell us, though, who would you like to see replace Rose as Batwoman? Leave us a comment with your own suggestions. Serious suggestions, please. No Angela Lansburys or Rebel Wilsons. Whoever does get cast in the role, they’re going to have a long time to prepare going by the pandemic. Not only is it delaying production on future episodes, but it’s disrupted the first season, too. Rose had been due to star in 22 episodes, but that had to be cut down to 20. There isn’t a fandom, actor, superhero buff or producer that hasn’t been piqued by the virus.
