Javicia Leslie Reacts to "Batwoman" Cancellation on Instagram
In the wake of The CW's cancellation of "Batwoman" after three seasons, star Javicia Leslie is speaking out. Leslie, who joined the show as Ryan Wilder in season two after Ruby Rose exited the series in season one, reflected on her journey playing Gotham City's masked hero in an emotional Instagram post. While the star is sad to see the series end, she makes it clear that she is proud to have been part of such an inclusive superhero show.
"The Most High never ceases to amaze me!" she began her lengthy Instagram post. "I was taught that words have power and we speak our life into existence. Well, I spoke this role into my life, and what an honor it has been to watch it play out exactly how it was meant to Family, this Bat Team is ours.. HERstory was made and it can never be taken."
Leslie went on to praise the show's cast and crew, as well as its passionate fanbase. "Going to set with such an amazing crew and cast makes work feel like play EVERY DAY! Thank you to our entire production team in Vancouver, our LA peeps that keep the stories coming, our big-wigs that believed that we could really do this, and our amazing cast that give their hearts on screen every episode!" she wrote. "And to the fans . . . WOW . . . I tear up thinking about all of your messages, tweets, DMs, and letters!! You all reminded me why what we do is soooo important. @ViolaDavis recently said in an interview when asked why representation matters: 'Because you need to see a physical manifestation of your dream. There is something about seeing someone who looks like you that makes it more tangible.' . . . cheers to what's next."
Showrunner Caroline Dries initially broke the news of the show's cancellation on Friday. "Just got the sad news that "Batwoman" will not be seeing an S4. I am bummed, but full of gratitude. What an honor to make 51 episodes. So many inspiring, brilliant people contributed to this series. Thank you producers, cast and crew. Thank you, fans! We love you," she tweeted.
Just got the sad news that #Batwoman will not be seeing an S4. I am bummed, but full of gratitude. What an honor to make 51 episodes. So many inspiring, brilliant people contributed to this series. Thank you producers, cast and crew. Thank you, fans! We love you. ❤️
- Caroline Dries (@carolinedries) April 29, 2022
Shortly after the season three finale aired in March, Dries revealed to TVLine that while she hoped The CW would renew "Batwoman" for season four, the finale could also work as a series finale if necessary. "I think you can tell by how the stories come to a satisfying conclusion that if this were the end, it feels like we've answered enough questions and then also created one big question," she said. "That was important to me because the show and each of these individual characters are so important to me that I wanted to give them their due finale moment."