CW's 'Batwoman' Has Cast Its Poison Ivy
There are a bunch of DC shows on the CW, all part of the Arrowverse. One of them, Batwoman, has been on a strange trajectory in terms of cast members. The first season starred Ruby Rose as Kate Kane donning the mantle. But following Rose's departure from the series, the creative team shifted gears, having Kane go missing and the mantle taken up by Javicia Leslie's character Ryan Wilder for the second season. By the end of that season, Kate Kane was back, though not how one might expect, with an altered face and now portrayed by Wallis Day.
Apart from that, casting has been pretty straightforward. The show has seen the use of such villains from "Bat family" lore as Hush and Zsasz. The end of season 2 teased the coming of another popular adversary, Poison Ivy. And now, thanks to Variety, it appears that we know who will portray her. According to their report, Bridget Regan has been cast in the role. In the realm of comic book shows, she previously portrayed Dottie Underwood in the Marvel show Agent Carter. She has also portrayed characters in other shows such as Legend of the Seeker and White Collar. As far as films go, the most popular one in which she has appeared is perhaps the first John Wick film. She has an extensive resume and may be able to really bring something to the role with all her experience.
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Here is what Variety had to say:
"Poison Ivy, a.k.a Pamela Isley, is as former botany student of Gotham University described as a passionate, brilliant scientist with a mind for changing the world for the better. But her plans shifted when she was experimented on by a colleague, injected with various plant toxins which turned her into the infamous Batman villain Poison Ivy. With a formidable power coursing through her veins, Pamela used her powers to do what she thought was right, even if Batman and those closest to her disagreed with her dangerous methods. Now effectively wiped off the board for years, Batwoman and the Bat Team must prepare themselves for Poison Ivy to return with a vengeance."
Of course, this is not the first time that we have seen Poison Ivy in live-action. Uma Thurman portrayed her in the rather notorious 1997 film Batman & Robin, which, along with Steel, nearly killed comic book movies. (Thank goodness for Blade soon afterward.) These days, people can watch the film and laugh along with its puns knowing now that it is not the final word on Batman films. A kid version of Poison Ivy named Ivy Pepper, who later has some sort of weird growth acceleration into an adult appeared in the TV show Gotham. Throughout that series, the character was portrayed by three actresses: Clare Foley, Maggie Geha, and Peyton List. Apart from the live-action stuff, Poison Ivy has appeared in plenty of DC animation. Fairly recently, she has been a main character throughout the adult animated Harley Quinn TV series, where she is voiced by Lake Bell.
The addition of Poison Ivy in the Batwoman TV show gives viewers something to potentially look forward to. How throwing her into the mix could affect the dynamic of characters in the series has yet to be seen, but a villain like Ivy can cause plenty of conflict even while trying to save the planet in her own way, as past versions have tried. Come season 3, we will see how Ivy is utilized.
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Source(s): Variety