What is happening with the current DCEU now that James Gunn is taking over and changing the entire direction of DC Studios? Well, there are four DCEU films still to be released this year, and one of them, “Shazam! Fury Of The Gods,” has already tanked. That likely means the end of that franchise. There’s seeming hope for “The Flash” since everyone seems to have seen it and thinks it’s a great film—including Tom Cruise. But what about the rest of the 2023 DCEU slate? Well, the next big challenge for the studio is “Blue Beetle,” which arrives in theaters in August.
READ MORE: ‘Blue Beetle’: ‘Cobra Kai’ Actor Xolo Maridueña To Star As Latinx Superhero for HBO Max
“Blue Beetle” is kind of a tough one. It’s a character that DC fans know well, generally a comedic, Spider-Man, or Ant-Man, like character with Batman-like gadgets, but outside of the comics, general audiences don’t know this character at all. That never hurt Marvel with characters and movies like “Guardians Of The Galaxy” (a team that audiences didn’t know at the time), but as we know all too well, DC is not Marvel, or at least not yet.
Still, DC put this bold move forward a few years back. “Blue Beetle” was initially intended to be a small-scale HBO Max movie when Warner Bros. was in the business of making such films (see the canceled “Batgirl” movie), but they liked the film enough to elevate it to a theatrical release which is a good sign.
But can it succeed in a tough theatrical market? The other hurdle it faces is a pretty known cast. “Blue Beetle” stars 21-year-old Xolo Maridueña, known for “Cobra Kai,” and the rest of the cast includes Bruna Marquezine, Belissa Escobedo, George Lopez, Adriana Barraza, Elpidia Carrillo, Damián Alcázar, Raoul Trujillo, and Susan Sarandon. So, some names we know, but not exactly, stars that open films.
“Blue Beetle” in the comics generally has two incarnations, much like “Ant-Man,” there’s Ted Kord, the original Blue Beetle, a rich white guy, but there’s also a younger, college-aged version, Jaime Reyes, who is a Latinx high schooler. And that’s the version Warner Bros. has gone with. Directed by Angel Manuel Soto (“Charm City Kings”), “Blue Beetle” is written by Gareth Dunnet-Alcocer and lands in theaters on August 18. Watch the first trailer below via Warner Bros.