The floodgates have opened for Latine talent in the upcoming Warner Bros. and DC Comics film Blue Beetle.
Joining lead actor Xolo Maridueña (Cobra Kai) in the title role are actor and comedian George Lopez (No Man’s Land), Academy Award nominee Adriana Barraza (Babel), actress Elpidia Carrillo (Predator), and actor Damián Alcázar (The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian).
The Wrap reported the names of the actors’ roles in Blue Beetle, but no other information is currently available. Lopez will play the role of Uncle Rudy; Barraza will play Nana; Carrillo will play Rocio; and Alcázar will play Alberto.
Blue Beetle director Angel Manuel Soto said that authenticity was important for him when building the cast for the film, which is expected to premiere in theaters on August 18, 2023.
“Initially, my goal with finding the family was to be able to have an authentic group of people, not just as authentic on the Latino side, but authentic on the accents and authentic on the experience overall,” Soto told The Wrap. “It was very important for me to have the elders in the family to be from Mexico. And more than just being from Mexico is honoring those amazing beloved actors from Mexico that have paved the way not just in Latin American cinema, but also crossing over to the Anglo-Saxon community and Latin American community in the United States.”
Other Latines who have already been cast in the movie include Harvey Guillén (What We Do in the Shadows), Bruna Marquezine (Breaking Through), and Belissa Escobedo (The Baker and the Beauty).
Blue Beetle will be the first DC Comics superhero movie starring a Latine lead. In the comics, the story follows a teenager from El Paso, Texas, named Jaime Reyes, who finds a mystical artifact that gives him superpowers.