Gotham's Poison Ivy Is Being Recast, Here's Why

Gotham has introduced a massive amount of characters over its two seasons so far, and it can be hard to keep track of who's who sometimes. One character that hasn't been hard to keep straight is none other than Ivy Pepper, AKA the future Poison Ivy. The young redhead has appeared intermittently on Gotham since the pilot, and she's grown steadily more and more sinister as time has passed. The villainess-to-be has been played from the beginning by actress Clare Foley, but it looks like the Ivy of Season 3 will be very different. Gotham is reportedly searching for an older actress to bring Ivy to life next.

Gotham is looking for an actress in her late teens to replace Clare Foley now that Ivy has been bumped up to regular status for Season 3, according to TVLine. Foley is only fourteen years old and can pass for younger, so Gotham may have some mature ideas for what trouble Ivy will get into in Season 3. The show hasn't shied away from violence for the younger generation to this point, but there are some things that even Gotham probably wouldn't want to come from the mouths and/or hands of babes.

Of course, Gotham might also just be trying to get around the filming regulations for younger performers. A 14-year old won't necessarily be able to keep the same hours on set as an 18-year old, and Ivy's bump up to regular might have motivated folks behind the scenes to look for an older actress to simplify filming. Clare Foley has always done well at balancing unnerving with innocent as the future villainess who will plague Bruce Wayne once he dons the cape and the cowl as Batman. Hopefully the actress who replaces Foley will be as good a fit for Gotham as her predecessor.

Given that Ivy technically shouldn't be becoming Poison Ivy for quite some time if Gotham intends to follow comic lore at all with the character, it should be interesting to see what the show does with her as a regular next season. Gotham has always played fast and loose with even the most iconic Batman characters, but young Ivy as young Selina Kyle's street pal with a talent for cultivating plants is a far cry from the Ivy of DC canon. There's really no predicting where Gotham could be taking her at this point.

Personally, I'm curious to see if Gotham plans on aging up the character as well as the actress. Ivy was never explicitly given an age, so the show really could just have Selina say "Wow, you finally look 18 now that you've had a growth spurt!" and play Ivy as a young adult rather than an adolescent. Stranger things have happened.

Unfortunately, we won't be seeing what Gotham does with a recast Ivy for quite a while yet as the show is currently on hiatus. Check out our summer TV premiere schedule to see what you can watch while you wait for more of the misadventures of Jim Gordon and Co. in Gotham. There will be plenty of new characters to look forward to in addition to the new and older actress playing Ivy.