Marking the DC superhero’s first time on the big screen, Warner Bros. Pictures’ “Blue Beetle” hits theaters later this summer. The film, directed by Angel Manuel Soto (known for “Charm City Kings” and “The Farm”), stars Xolo Maridueña (“Cobra Kai”) in the title role as well as his alter ego, Jaime Reyes.
And while there are lots of reasons to celebrate DC’s first notable Latinx hero on screen—Latin Americans strangely underrepresented in the superhero verse aside from Marvel’s American Chavez and the “Spider-Verse” universe—the question on most people’s minds is: if the $200-million dollar-costing “The Flash” movie with its bevy of callbacks and cameos couldn’t perform (it’s likely not even going to gross $300 million worldwide), what hope does a “Blue Beetle” film—with an unknown lead and basically unknown character—have?
DC Studios James Gunn recently suggested that “Blue Beetle” could be one of the characters that live on in his new DC universe, but that probably really depends on whether the film is a hit or not, and as we just mentioned, the odds are stacked against it.
The film looks like a bit of a cross between “Spider-Man” and “Ant-Man” mixed with some Latin American flavor.
Starring alongside Maridueña is Adriana Barraza (“Rambo: Last Blood,” “Thor”) as Jaime’s grandmother, Nana, Damían Alcázar (“Narcos,” “Narcos: Mexico”) as his father, Elpidia Carrillo (“Mayans MC,” the “Predator” films) as his mother, Bruna Marquezine (“Maldivas,” “God Save the King”) as Jenny Kord, Raoul Max Trujillo (the “Sicario” films, “Mayans MC ”) as Carapax, with Oscar winner Susan Sarandon (“Monarch,” “Dead Man Walking”) as Victoria Kord, and George Lopez (the “Rio and “Smurf” franchises) as Jaime’s Uncle Rudy. The film also stars Belissa Escobedo (“American Horror Stories,” “Hocus Pocus 2”) as Jaime’s sister, Milagro, and Harvey Guillén (“What We Do in the Shadows”) as Dr. Sanchez.
Here’s the official synopsis:
Recent college grad Jaime Reyes returns home full of aspirations for his future, only to find that home is not quite as he left it. As he searches to find his purpose in the world, fate intervenes when Jaime unexpectedly finds himself in possession of an ancient relic of alien biotechnology: the Scarab. When the Scarab suddenly chooses Jaime to be its symbiotic host, he is bestowed with an incredible suit of armor capable of extraordinary and unpredictable powers, forever changing his destiny as he becomes the Super Hero BLUE BEETLE.
Soto directs from a screenplay by Gareth Dunnet-Alcocer (“Miss Bala”), based on characters from DC. John Rickard and Zev Foreman are producing, with Walter Hamada, Galen Vaisman, and Garrett Grant serving as executive producers.
“Blue Beetle” flies into theaters on August 18. Watch the new trailer below.