Casting: Meet Batwoman’s villain; Burn Gorman joins The Expanse; Locke & Key adds two

There has been an interesting output of genre news within the Hollywood casting machine today ... and we have the details to prove it.

Let's kick off with one of the most highly anticipated shows out there, The CW’s Batwoman. Deadline reports that the villain due to spar against Ruby Rose’s Kate Kane will be actress Rachel Skarsten (shown above).

Skarsten plays Alice, the leader of her Lewis Carroll–inspired Wonderland Gang, who has a distinctly Joker-esque look about her (in the comics, at least). The character first appeared Detective Comics #854 (August 2009) and is known for speaking predominantly in phrases and quotes from the Lewis Carroll novel Alice's Adventures in Wonderland. If that isn't creepy enough for ya, she's also depicted as highly eccentric, malicious, and violent.

Skarsten previously played Dinah Lance on the 2002 series Birds of Prey, as well as Queen Elizabeth on Reign. She was also a series regular as the Valkyrie Tamsin on SYFY’s Lost Girl. We can’t wait to see what Skarsten does with this new character, who uses guns, knives, and poison as her weapons.

The show recently added a host of other stars to the mix, as well, including Teen Wolf's Meagan Tandy, who will play Sophie Moore, a high-level private security agent who became one of Gotham’s staunchest protectors.

Next, the cast of The Expanse is er, expanding. Amazon Prime has announced via a video tweet that Burn Gorman (Torchwood, Pacific Rim) will appear as the super tough security chief Adolphus Murtry.

Fans of the original novels will know that Murtry is the chief of security for Royal Charter Energy (RCE) on the Edward Israel. And if his kill-happy behavior is anything to go by, this key character is sure to cause some major upsets pretty much straightaway.

No word yet on when the show will make its way onto Amazon, but Gorman does reveal that shooting of Season 4 wraps this week, so hopefully it won't be too long.

Lastly, Netflix horror-fantasy drama Locke & Key has added Thomas Mitchell Barnet (Saving Hope) as a series regular and Asha Bromfield (Riverdale) as a recurring character, according to Deadline.

The streaming giant ordered 10 episodes of the show, four months after Hulu passed on a series order. It follows three siblings who move to Massachusetts after the murder of their father, where they learn that their new home hosts a set of magical keys, each of which gives the children a different ability. However, things start to get complicated when an evil demon come after them, who also wants a copy of those keys.

Per the report, Barnet will play Sam Lesser, a troubled and sensitive young man who desperately longs for a connection with others. Meanwhile, Bromfield is set to play Zadie, a “spunky, horror nerd” and the only female member of the “Savini Squad.”

What do you make of these casting moves? Give us your verdict in the comments below.