Jodie Whittaker broke new ground when she was cast as the first female Doctor Who. Now, the actress seems ready to move on from the iconic role and pursue new avenues as an actor.

The Daily Mail quotes an insider as saying that the 38-year-old Whittaker has reportedly signaled to BBC bosses that she intends to leave the famous franchise at the end of the upcoming new season.

While the insider said that this is supposed to be “hush-hush” information, the whole production behind Doctor Who is apparently already preparing for a replacement for Whittaker. Reportedly, the arrival of the next Doctor will be filmed in the coming months.

If the rumors are true, Whittaker will be following the usual flow of the long-running show. Doctor Who has usually replaced the actor playing the Doctor every three or four years. Whittaker first took on the role in 2017.

Of course, news of Whittaker leaving has also prompted speculation regarding who will be her replacement. The Mirror has come up with a list of names that people are supposedly betting to take over the mantle of Doctor.

A number of actresses have been included in the list of possible replacements. These include Gillian Anderson, Gavin & Stacey star Joanna Page, Fleabag creator Phoebe Waller-Bridge, Charlotte Ritchie, as well as 77-year-old actress Julia Foster, who has been on a number of Doctor Who episodes herself.

Of the male contenders, some of the famous names include Idris Elba, Ben Whishaw, Tom Ellis, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Michael Sheen, and Eddie Radmayne. Other names mentioned include actors Kris Marshall, Tom Rosenthal, and James Norton.

Whittaker is not the only actress to break new ground when it comes to taking over roles in established science fiction and fantasy franchises. Last year, Javicia Leslie made headlines when she became the first Black actress to take on the role of Batwoman.

When she first got the role, Leslie revealed that she was a longtime Batman fan, making the role even more special. The significance of her taking on the role was also not lost on her as she expressed the possibility of her being an inspiration for little Black girls.

Leslie’s turn as Batwoman is yet to be seen on television, but the 33-year-old actress has expressed the hope that it could become a long-running series like Arrow, which Batwoman shares a universe with.

Whatever the outcome, both shows will still have to deal with the external factor that is the global coronavirus pandemic as they continue filming. As of their Jan. 3 update, the World Health Organization puts the number of confirmed COVID-19 cases in the world at 83,322,449 people. Deaths caused by COVID-19 are now at 1,831,412 people.