Change is the one constant in life, many would agree, and this holds true for Warner Bros. and DC. In the past year or so, the company has undergone a tsunami of change. First, a new CEO in David Zaslav took the reins, and what came next were cost-cutting measures that even involved canning the much admired Batgirl. As part of his new DC universe reset, Zaslav handed the creative reins of its superhero universe to James Gunn and Peter Safran. While some projects during this reboot have been scrapped or banished to developmental purgatory, one project in particular seems to be going on strong – Blue Beetle.
Initially planned as a Max exclusive, the film managed to escape the fate that befell the Leslie Grace-led Batgirl. Asides avoiding cancellation, the film earned its own theatrical release date as well. Now, the director of the Xolo Maridueña-led superhero movie, Angel Manuel Soto, has revealed that the film is set to be part of the core fabric of Gunn’s and Safran’s vision for the DCU. “We are part of the universe, we are part of the world, we are part of the plans that they have been creating for the future installments of the DCU,” Soto told Total Film magazine. “But we are not tied to all the films from the past. Yes, our movie lives in the world where superheroes exist. But that doesn’t mean that a certain event, or certain alliance, or certain things from the past dictate where our film is going.”
When Blue Beetle arrives in theaters on August 18, it will mark the first time a Hispanic superhero will lead a major studio film. The film follows the story of Jaime Reyes who gains superpowered armor following an interaction with an alien symbiotic scarab. In addition to trying to accept his new reality, he also tries to figure out why the alien scarab chose him. Soto has high hopes for the film and plans to craft it into a trilogy: “Our first movie, the way we wanted to do it, was always with the mentality that we wanted to do two more, at least, and taking the traditional three-act structure of a story, we wanted our first movie to practically be the first act of a saga.”
Maridueña and Soto Agree
Soto is not the only one who believes in the future of Blue Beetle, the film’s star act Maridueña holds the same opinion. “If we get one movie or a trilogy and fucking fold this into the Justice League sh*t, we’re ready for the whole nine,” the actor revealed in a previous interview. “For me and Angel [Manuel Soto, director] and the team, we kicked ass with this movie. It just depends on numbers.” Starring alongside Maridueña will be singer-songwriter Becky G who will voice the symbiote scarab Khaji-Da.
Blue Beetle will be released into theaters on August 18.
via Collider