With the recent conclusion of the SAG-AFTRA strike, actors can now freely discuss projects they previously had to keep quiet about during the labor dispute. One such actor is “Blue Beetle” headliner Xolo Maridueña, who took to social media and thanked his supporters in his first public remarks since the DC superhero film was released: “This is for all our inner child.”
“‘Blue Beetle’ is sacred to me, from the family you see on screen to the ones I made off, this movie has tore me down and built me back up in ways I’ll never be able to articulate,” Maridueña said on Instagram. “To celebrate this moment behind closed doors has been one of the most formative moments of my life but it helped me realize, there is no dollar sign, no tweet, no headline, that can quantify the feeling inside a child who sees their ancestry is heroic. This is for all of our inner child. Thank you for everyone who supported and showed out, the response has been overwhelmingly positive and there isn’t a week that passes by without thinking of the Blue Beetle Battalion!! Here are a few (of im sure many) photos to come of this movie!! You’re all superhero’s cabrones! Ashe”
Along with Maridueña, his costars have also been posting behind-the-scenes content on their socials since SAG lifted the ban on Tuesday.
“I promise I’ll put something more profound together later, but for now here’s a blast from the past @bluebeetle,” wrote leading lady Bruna Marquezine.
“Blue Beetle,” which was directed by Angel Manuel Soto, will premiere on streaming platform Max next week, Friday, Nov. 17.
Previously, SAG-AFTRA prohibited promotion of projects by actors at the struck studios — all of the majors, including Warner Bros. So while the movie was a groundbreaking piece of Latino representation, it was an absolute travesty that the cast couldn’t do anything to hype the film.
The upside is that Maridueña will continue to play Jaime Reyes/Blue Beetle in the upcoming relaunched DC film universe. DC Studios Chief James Gunn has confirmed that Blue Beetle is the new DC Universe’s first character.
“I mean the first DCU character, for sure, is Blue Beetle, and the first full DCU movie is Superman,” Gunn said on Michael Rosenbaum’s podcast.
