Blue Beetle director Ángel Manuel Soto has said he’s relieved that Jaime Reyes will have a future in the DCU.
While the new DC Universe won’t officially begin until the release of Superman: Legacy, James Gunn has already said that Blue Beetle is the first DCU character. That came as a huge relief to director Ángel Manuel Soto, as he now has the reassurance that the character of Jaime Reyes (Xolo Maridueña) will continue and that all their work wasn’t in vain.
“Yeah, that was for sure one of the elements of relief. It’s the fact that all of this effort was not going to die during this regime change,” Ángel Manuel Soto told THR. “We survived regime changes throughout this whole process, and that was a testament to the hard work that everybody put into it. There’s also a belief in our characters, who are now going to be part of this new DC universe, especially Xolo’s character and his whole family and Bruna Marquezine’s character. So, knowing that they are going to continue to move forward in the DCU allowed me to feel relief for myself and for them. It’s a testament to the amount of heart and talent that they have.“
Blue Beetle has been receiving quite the early reaction and could even dethrone Barbie at the box office this weekend, but it’s a little bittersweet for Soto, who isn’t able to share the experience with his cast. As the SAG-AFTRA strike continues, that means that none of the actors can promote the movie and Soto has had to serve as the face of the project for interviews.
“It is heartbreaking, and it’s more than just wanting to have their company. I wanted them to have their moment,” Soto said. “This is their moment. We’ve never had a [mainstream live-action Latino-led superhero film] that celebrates our culture, with characters who look like my family and many other families out there. So it’s a shame that they cannot have the spotlight that they deserve, but at the same time, it’s a necessary thing. I do believe that the strike needed to happen. I wish it happened after the release of our movie, but at the end of the day, there’s no better time than now. So, having them actually sacrifice this opportunity to be on the picket line and to fight for a better future — not only for them, but also to secure something better for future generations to come — is a heroic act of its own.“
“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,” reads the official Blue Beetle synopsis. “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.” It’s too early to say how Blue Beetle will factor into the DCU, but it’s clear there are plans for the character.
In addition to Xolo Maridueña, Blue Beetle also stars Adriana Barraza (Rambo: Last Blood) as Jaime’s grandmother, Nana, Damían Alcázar (Narcos: Mexico) as his father, Elpidia Carrillo (Mayans M.C.) as his mother, Bruna Marquezine (God Save the King) as Jenny Kord, Raoul Max Trujillo (Sicario) as Carapax, with Oscar winner Susan Sarandon (Dead Man Walking) as Victoria Kord, and George Lopez (Rio) as Jaime’s Uncle Rudy. The film also stars Belissa Escobedo (American Horror Stories) as Jaime’s sister, Milagro, and Harvey Guillén (What We Do in the Shadows) as Dr. Sanchez.
Blue Beetle will hit theaters on August 18th, so be sure to check out a review from our own Brad Hamerly right here.