Exclusive: ‘Batwoman’ Eyes ‘Riverdale’s Vanessa Morgan For Lead Character Replacement Ryan Wilder

The Cinema Spot has exclusively learned that Riverdale actress Vanessa Morgan is being eyed to play Ryan Wilder on the Batwoman television show.

In a bizarre move, it was announced last month that Batwoman lead actress Ruby Rose has decided to leave the series ahead of its already-announced second season.

A few weeks after the initial announcement, a casting call for a character with the name “Ryan Wilder” was found on Reddit, which has since been confirmed by showrunner Caroline Dries. She stated at the ATX Television Festival that they are creating a new character instead of recasting Kate:

I’m inventing a whole new character. In her past, she was inspired by Batwoman. She is going to take on the mantle and is completely maybe not be the right person at the time to be doing it. That’s what makes it fun.

This idea has caused a lot of backlash amongst fans, with some fans stating that they will not be watching Batwoman‘s second season if Kate Kane is getting replaced. Unfortunately for the fans, it seems like Batwoman is moving forward with the Ryan Wilder character. Thus, The CW wants actress Vanessa Morgan for the role.

Earlier this week, Vanessa Morgan called out the popular young adult series Riverdale for sidelining Black characters, stating:

Tired of how Black people are portrayed in Media, tired of us being portrayed as thugs, dangerous or angry scary people. Tired of us also being used as sidekick non-dimensional characters to our white leads. Or only used in the ads for diversity but not actually in the show.

Morgan is currently the only black lead on the hit CW show. Riverdale creator Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa replied with the following:

We hear Vanessa. We love Vanessa. She’s right. We’re sorry and we make the same promise that we did to her. We will do better to honor her and the character she plays. As well as all of our actors and characters of color. CHANGE is happening and will continue to happen. Riverdale will get bigger, not smaller. Riverdale will be part of the movement, not outside it.

It was previously announced that, spoiler alert, Riverdale is set to do a time jump heading into Season 5. Therefore, it is likely that if Morgan gets the role of Ryan Wilder, her Riverdale character Toni Topaz will not be returning after the time jump.

We’ve heard that alongside her audition, Vanessa Morgan will also be doing a screen test. This screen test will presumably be done with other members of the main cast.

This does not mean that other actresses can not audition for the role, though. The CW wants an actress who is younger than 30 years old, and “gets” Berlanti Productions and its culture.

What do you think of Ryan Wilder? Would you like to see Vanessa Morgan in the role? Please let us know on Twitter and Instagram!