Blue Beetle is probably one of the most unpredictable superhero movies to be released in the last few years. Coming right in the middle of the transition between the old DCEU and the new DCU, it is hard to work out exactly where the film sits or how well it will fare at the box office after the disappointment of Shazam! Fury of the Gods. Now though we have a first look at the movie with the first trailer arriving today.
Blue Beetle tells the story of Mexican-American teenage Jaime Reyes, who discovers a robotic scarab of unknown origin that fuses itself to his spine and allows him to summon up the “Blue Beetle” armored suit. While this would be a great thing for many teenagers, and Peter Parker didn’t exactly do too badly from that spider bite, it seems that the beetle is something that Reyes is not always in control of, and in many cases it is he who finds himself being controlled by the beetle.
Just like many DC and Marvel heroes, Jaime Reyes is just one of many iterations of the character to have appeared in comic form, but has always been seen as the most popular and this could help he movie along a little at the box office. Cobra Kai star Xolo Maridueña takes on the role of the unwitting superhero, while Hollywood veteran Susan Sarandon plays Victoria Kord, the movie’s villain who has a very familiar name for those who have read the Blue Beetle comics. The rest of the ensemble cast includes George Lopez plays the role of Uncle Rudy Reyes, Elpidia Carrillo as Rocio Reyes and Raoul Max Trujillo as Carapax the Indestructible Man. Others on board the film are Adriana Barraza, Jorge Jimenez, Bruna Marquezine, Belissa Escobedo, and Damián Alcázar
Blue Beetle Could Become Part of James Gunn’s DCU
Blue Beetle is a bit of an anomaly in the DC slate. Put into production long before James Gunn and Peter Safran took over the reins at DC Studios, the film was originally destined to be an HBO Max exclusive movie along with the now defunct Batgirl. While that movie became one of the major casualties of the now infamous WBD reshuffle and tax write-off period of transition, Blue Beetle somehow survived and was moved to a theatrical release. The question is, why?
With the old DCEU dying out with the release of Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom, it is strange to imagine that Blue Beetle would have gone ahead if it did not have a place in the future of the franchise as unlike both the Aquaman sequel, Shazam! Fury of the Gods and The Flash, it was put into production much later than the other movies which all saw substantial delays to their release after production ended. As James Gunn is clearly looking to some lesser known DC heroes as part of the new DCU, Blue Beetle could certainly find a home there if audiences show up for his first outing.
