Blue Beetle

The Blue Beetle movie made the cut when it came to the DC Universe and Xolo Maridueña will be playing the titular character in the cast.

Blue Beetle is the upcoming live-action DC superhero movie based on the comic created by Charles Nicholas Wojtkoski. Its path to the big screen, like most recent Warner Bros. films, was in question, as is seemingly everything in the DC Universe these days. First, it was earmarked for HBO Max and then there was even a question if the film would find the same fate as Batgirl (i.e. canceled). But it now appears the film will get a theatrical release. Let’s see what else we know about Blue Beetle.

COBRA KAI STAR XOLO MARIDUENA IS THE BLUE BEETLE

If you are a fan of the Netflix hit series, Cobra Kai, then you will know Xolo Maridueña. In Cobra Kai, Maridueña plays Miguel Diaz, the on-again, off-again boyfriend of Daniel LaRusso’s (Ralph Macchio) daughter, Samantha (Mary Mouser). But Cobra Kai was not the first job Maridueña took in Hollywood.

Maridueña’s first time in front of the camera came back in 2012 when he grabbed a role as Victor Graham on the third season of Parenthood. The producers liked him so much that he was written in as a permanent character for Parenthood Seasons 4-6. This wasn’t the only work Maridueña had that led him to Cobra Kai and eventually the lead as Jaime Reyes in Blue Beetle.

Maridueña was seen in the TV series Major Crimes, Rush Hour, and Twin Peaks before grabbing the role of Miguel on Cobra Kai. Even though The Karate Kid spin-off has kept him busy, Maridueña has also been able to lend his voice on shows like Victor and Valentino, Cleopatra in Space, and Fast & Furious Spy Racers.

Although we have yet to see Maridueña in his Blue Beetle costume, we at least know what the scarab looks like. Courtesy of DC Studios’ co-CEO, James Gunn, fans got their first peek of it at Comic-Con. Gunn surprised fans once again when he shared the poster, which informed them “Only in Theaters 2023” on Twitter.

pic.twitter.com/BSI35fm6hH

— James Gunn (@JamesGunn) December 3, 2022

BRUNA MARQUEZINE AND GEORGE LOPEZ HAVE ROLES IN BLUE BEETLE

Blue Beetle features a predominantly Latino cast. Bruna Marquezine will play Penny, Jaime’s love interest. George Lopez joins the cast as Jaime’s Uncle Rudy. Belissa Escobedo is Milagros, Jaime’s younger sister.

Others joining the cast are Adriana Barraza as Nana, Elpidia Carrillo as Rocio, and Damián Alcázar as Alberto. There are two villains that we know of in Blue Beetle. Raoul Trujillo is playing Carapax the Indestructible Man, and we also have Academy Award winner Susan Sarandon playing the big baddie, Victoria Kord.

ANGEL MANUEL SOTO IS DIRECTING BLUE BEETLE

Keeping with its Latino theme, Blue Beetle will have Angel Manuel Soto behind the camera from a script written by Gareth Dunnet-Alcocer. Soto is best known for directing films like Charm City Kings and Dinner Party, though much of his career has centered around directing shorts. Alcocer is best known for writing the script for the 2019 feature, Miss Bala.

When Blue Beetle finally hits the big screen, it will be making history. It will be the first superhero feature film to be Latino-led, not only on the screen but behind the camera as well.

THIS MOVIE WILL FOCUS ON THE JAMIE REYES VERSION OF THE CHARACTER

If you know anything about Blue Beetle, then you know that there are three versions of the superhero. The first version followed Dan Garret, the original Blue Beetle, and the son of a police officer killed by a criminal. The second version of Blue Beetle was Ted Kord, a student of Garret. Although Kord shares the last name with Sarandon’s character, we are told her character was one created specifically for the film and was not part of any of the Blue Beetle comics.

The film, though, revolves around the third version of Blue Beetle, Jaime Reyes (Maridueña). While we know that Reyes somehow becomes bonded with the alien scarab, details of the actual plot are lacking. Rumor has it that the story will closely follow the animated Young Justice where fans see Reyes with the ability to talk to his Blue Beetle costume and it talks back.

The rumor comes from rumor king, Daniel Richtman, who says, “Similar to Young Justice, the scarab has a voice and you will hear it and Jaime [Reyes] argue throughout the movie.” Of course, this rumor is unsubstantiated, but Richtman has proven himself right many times in the past.

Also feeding into this rumor is the fact that Harvey Guillén (Guillermo in the TV series What We Do in the Shadows) is also listed in the credits but whose role remains unnamed.

THE MOVIE SURVIVED THE DC UNIVERSE CANCELLATIONS

As we mentioned earlier, there was a lot of concern not only about where fans would be able to see the film (HBO Max or movie theaters) but if the movie was going to be released at all. Warner Bros. has gone through significant upheavals since the merge with Discovery, and it also has been no secret that with these changes, a number of films have found their way out of circulation. Batgirl is a prime example of films not making the cut.

Needless to say, if a high-profile film such as Batgirl, one that was 90% complete, could find its way into absolute hibernation, then what chance does a lesser superhero such as Blue Beetle have in even making it to HBO Max, much less a big theatrical release? Well, even with Warner Bros. bringing in James Gunn and Peter Safran to run the new DC Studios, Blue Beetle somehow made the cut.

BLUE BEETLE WILL COME TO THEATERS ON AUGUST 18, 2023

Although Blue Beetle was first destined to be an HBO Max release, it has since been given a theatrical release and with it, a firm date. The film will hit theaters on August 18, 2023, but not before a special screening in El Paso, Texas is planned. Who is looking forward to seeing Blue Beetle? Tell us.