We’re potentially getting a solo ‘Bat’ franchise set in Gotham on the CW, but it’s not what you think.
According to Deadline, CW is exploring the option of spinning off the upcoming debut of Batwoman into her own live-action series. The character is already set to debut in December as part of the annual Arrowverse crossover, but reports say that CW is looking for a much more permanent place for the female vigilante.
“The Vampire Diaries” and “Smallville” producer Caroline Dries has been hired to write and produce a potential “Batwoman” series, in association with Arrowverse mastermind Greg Berlanti. Here’s how the series is being described:
“In ‘Batwoman,’ written by Dries based on the DC characters, armed with a passion for social justice and a flair for speaking her mind, Kate Kane 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.”
As you may gather from the description, the addition of “Batwoman” to the already crowded CW Arrowverse line-up is exciting on a couple fronts. First, and probably foremost, it would mark the first gay lead character in a live-action superhero series. Secondly, it will satisfy fans who have been dying to get a Batman-related character in the Arrowverse.
If the series gets picked up, CW has an interesting dilemma on their hands. “Batwoman” would mark the fifth Arrowverse series, following “Arrow,” “Flash,” “Legends of Tomorrow,” and “Supergirl.” It would also be the sixth total live-action superhero series, if you include “Black Lightning.” Seriously, when will people start to recognize that the only successful shared superhero universe isn’t limited to the Marvel Cinematic Universe? What Greg Berlanti and Co. have put together on CW is remarkable and unprecedented, to say the least.
No actor has been tapped for the role yet, but regardless of whether the show gets picked up or not, someone will play the character in the December crossover. It’s just that her contract will have a fairly big option attached to it.