Ruby Rose Exits BATWOMAN

Ruby Rose has announced that she is leaving Batwoman prior to the second season on The CW.

The show, in its freshman year, started with over 1.8 million viewers watching the pilot, but the ratings steadily declined and the audience dwindled to near one million viewers until the “Crisis on Infinite Earths” cross-over event in December. There, the show got a boost and pulled in 1.7 million with a 0.6 rating in the key 18-49 demographic. However, the ratings continued to tumble past “Crisis” until the final episode, which only drew 739,000.

Despite the ratings dive, The CW renewed the show back in January.

Last September, Rose revealed that she had undergone emergency surgery for two herniated discs in her spine, although her comments related to the situation only imply a connection to her work on Batwoman. It has not been confirmed which project she was working on, but Rose did say it was connected to stunt work.

In a statement, Rose said, “I have made the very difficult decision to not return to Batwoman next season.  This was not a decision I made lightly as I have the utmost respect for the cast, crew and everyone involved with the show in both Vancouver and in Los Angeles.  I am beyond appreciative to Greg Berlanti, Sarah Schechter and Caroline Dries for not only giving me this incredible opportunity, but for welcoming me into the DC universe they have so beautifully created. Thank you Peter Roth and Mark Pedowitz and the teams at Warner Bros. and The CW who put so much into the show and always believed in me. Thank you to everyone who made season one a success – I am truly grateful.”

This is not the first character to be recast in the Arrowverse. Caity Lotz is the second actress to play Sarah Lance, and Erica Durance replaced Laura Benanti as Alura Zor-El.

The studio also issued a statement: “Warner Bros. Television, The CW and Berlanti Productions thank Ruby for her contributions to the success of our first season and wish her all the best. The studio and network are firmly committed to Batwoman’s second season and long-term future, and we — along with the show’s talented creative team — look forward to sharing its new direction, including the casting of a new lead actress and member of the LGBTQ community, in the coming months.”