Batwoman boss confirms Ryan Wilder theory: "She will take the mantle"

Recently, a casting announcement was obtained by Deadline, which said The CW was looking for a character called Ryan Wilder, but it was unknown whether she was a new face or a pseudonym for an existing DC character.

Dries spoke to fellow CW showrunner in Julie Plec in an ATX Festival At Home Q&A about the ongoing rumours and shed light on why the show is going in a new direction.

She said: "To be honest with you, I did consider the 'soap opera version' [of recasting] for a hot minute, because selfishly we already had a couple of episodes written, and transition-wise it would be seamless.

"But upon further reflection - and I think Greg [Berlanti] helped me make this call - he's like, 'I think we should just reboot Batwoman as a different character'."

Dries continued to explain the decision by saying it is "respectful" to Rose's Kate Kane while also helping the audience to get over the shock of losing the character.

"We're not asking them to address 'the elephant in the room' by accepting a new face as the same person," Dries admitted.

And it seems the rumours about Ryan have been confirmed, too, as Dries revealed she is "a whole new character who in her past was inspired by Batwoman, so she is going to take the mantle."

Meanwhile, in a poll conducted by RadioTimes.com, fans voted for Stephanie Beatriz to take over from Rose.

Batwoman season one airs on E4 at 9pm on Sundays. If you’re looking for more to watch, check out our TV Guide.