Update 1/31/23: During DC’s reveal of their upcoming 8 to 10-year plan, James Gunn revealed that Blue Beetle will be canon as they reset the franchise. According to Gunn, “Blue Beetle, a fantastic film about a kid who’s a marvelous part of the DCU.” This will lead to the next Aquaman film. He also said that Blue Beetle “is totally disconnected” from the previous chaos of the DCU and as they rework things to make one real universe and world, this character and his journey “can totally be part of the DCU.”
The first poster for DC Comics’ upcoming Blue Beetle film was revealed during the comic convention known as CCXP in São Paulo, Brazil, on Saturday (December 3).
Blue Beetle also got a synopsis that really gave us an inside look at what this character is going to go through:
“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 superhero Blue Beetle.”
Jaime Reyes is played by Cobra Kai star Xolo Maridueña. The poster features the alien scarab that attaches itself to Jaime to create an exoskeleton around his body. The scarab is shiny blue and silver and has pink-purple accents. There are also intricate, linear markings across the entire artifact.
Along with Maridueña, the majority Latine cast includes Oscar nominee Adriana Barraza, Bruna Marquezine, Belissa Escobedo, George Lopez, Elpidia Carrillo, Damián Alcázar, Raoul Trujillo, and Harvey Guillén.
“[Blue Beetle’s] got such a stellar cast,” Escobedo told Remezcla during an interview in October. “It’s just an honor, and I’m so excited for our community to have our first superhero movie that’s gonna be awesome.”
The poster also features the words “Only in theaters,” probably to remind audiences that DC is not going to release the film on HBO Max as originally planned and giving this movie the platform it deserves to show that our stories are blockbuster moments that are worth investing in. It also puts our cancellation fears finally to rest after the huge shakeup that happened after the shelving of the highly anticipated ‘Batgirl.’
Now we’re just worrying about Sasha Calle and her Supergirl.
Blue Beetle will premiere at theaters nationwide on August 18, 2023.