Blue Beetle is planned to be more than just another DC superhero film.
After Warner Discovery permanently shelved the unfinished Batgirl film, it seemed as though Jaime Reyes’ cinematic debut would be next. However, in a surprising twist, the exact opposite is happening. Cobra Kai actor Xolo Mariduena, who will portray Jaime, had been told at his audition how significant the character’s future will be.
[WB/DC Films President Walter Hamada told me the] role of Blue Beetle is going to be really important to this universe. We want to just make sure that whoever we go with is a real person and we’re not just hiring a face. It’s about more than what’s in front of the camera.
Could they possibly be pulling an Iron Man move with this thought process? Taking a character not as popular as Batman or Superman and elevating him to the level of major significance? It’s been rumored that Warner Discovery is taking pages from Marvel Studios’ Kevin Fiege’s playbook in restructuring their DC film output.
Blue Beetle – What Possibilities Could The Film Hold?
Also starring Susan Sarandon, George Lopez, Adrianna Barraza, Raoul Max Trujillo, Damian Alcazar, and Belissa Escobedo, social media has been on fire with behind-the-scenes photos of Mariduena in an incredible comics- faithful suit. While obviously the mask’s mouth movements will be CGI, the budget is evident.
Introduced to comics during the 2006 event Day of Vengeance, created by Keith Giffen, John Rogers and Cully Hamner, Jaime is the third human to inhabit the Blue Beetle identity. Dan Garrett was the first; after discovering what he thought was a mystical scarab in Egypt that granted him enhanced abilities. His successor, billionaire industrialist Ted Kord, could not access these abilities, but still wore the Scarab and designed technology based on the iconography to aid him in his crimefighting.
What makes Jaime unique is that the Scarab – in truth, a symbiotic, technorganic life form that is a member of the conquering extraterrestrial species known as “The Reach” – bonds with the boy in a way predecessors Dan Garrett and Ted Kord never achieved, granting him access to its higher brain functions, protective armor, and alien weaponry.
As partners on a similar level as Eddie Brock with the Venom symbiote in Marvel, Jaime and the Scarab, known as “Khaji-Da,” have made appearances across multiple forms of media. He was voiced by Batman Beyond‘s own Wil Friedel in Batman: The Brave And The Bold, and the first live action portrayal was in the final season of Smallville, where the character was portrayed by Jared Brandt Bartlett, in the episode “Booster.” He also had a role in the video platform Injustice II.
Given the strongest Blue Beetle story saw him fighting against The Reach, the intergalactic aspect does hold potential for the DC Universe, including as a possible introduction to the Green Lantern Corps. Other teams that Blue Beetle has been affiliated with have been The Justice League and The Teen Titans. With these connections in mind, could Jaime Reyes be the glue needed to hold this oncoming line of films together? Time will tell.
Although no definitive date has been set, Blue Beetle is scheduled for release in 2023.
Official Source – Blue Beetle Is Reportedly Going to Be “Really Important” to DC Films Universe (comicbook.com)
