DC Comics fans were likely surprised when Warner Bros. announced a massive shift in its upcoming releases. At one point, 2022 was home to five different live-action projects—now, only three will make it into the year. Of course, there was The Batman earlier this year, but then will come Black Adam in October and Shazam! Fury of the Gods in December. The Flash, Aquaman, and (almost certainly) Batgirl have been pushed back, making 2023 quite a massive year for the studio.
One of the future projects that DC Comics already has slated for next year is Blue Beetle, which is set to introduce a brand-new superhero to the world. The movie will star Cobra Kai's Xolo Maridueña as leading superhero Jamie Reyes and will be directed by Angel Manuel Soto.
At one point, the film was intended for a streaming-only debut on HBO Max. But, circumstances changed, and the up-and-coming superhero's first feature has gotten itself a theatrical release in the second half of 2023.
Plot details of the movie aren't known, but the project has been slowly adding a cast. Recently, Bruna Marquezine came aboard as the lead female love interest alongside Harvey Guillen, whose character details were kept a secret. Belissa Escobedo was also enlisted, joining as Milagros Reyes, the younger sister to Reyes.
Now, Blue Beetle has added even more names, this time rounding out the Reyes family.
George Lopez Joins DC's Blue Beetle
The Wrap reported that famous actor and comedian George Lopez joined Warner Bros.' upcoming DC Comics film, Blue Beetle. Adiana Barraza, Elpidia Carillo, and Damian Alcazar have also been added to the project.
Lopez will be playing Uncle Rudy, Barraza will be Nana, Carillo will be Rocio, and Alcazar as Alberto. They join Xolo Mariduena's Jaime Reyes and Bellisa Escobedo's Milagro as the four newcomers finish filling out the Reyes family.
The movie's director, Angel Manuel Soto, released a statement saying how it was always his goal to "[honor] those amazing beloved actors from Mexico that have paved the way... [for] Latin America Cinema:"
“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, 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.”
Soto continued to say how he believes that this cast has allowed for the "level of authenticity" he hoped to bring on screen:
“And then you have somebody on the younger side, the new blood that’s coming in, like Belissa and Xolo, they’re Mexican American, and tying them with the guys that came before which have a strong history of being born in Mexico and then coming over to the US. Being able to provide a Mexican family, a brown Mexican family, that embraces that level of authenticity, I think this cast allowed us to have all of that.”
Blue Beetle Cast Even Larger
Given the emphasis and attention that the Reyes family seems to be getting, it would indicate their family-dynamic will be a major element of the film's story, as well as its running themes. With how passionate director Angel Manuel Soto is about them, the Reyes household will no doubt see a lot of screentime.
But will the story deal with Jamie Reyes hiding his Blue Beetle secret from his family and the struggles that come from it? Or will they ditch those tropes and have his relatives find out fairly quickly, leading to a more unique dynamic unfolding on screen?
Fans will have to wait until next year to find out the answer to that. Hopefully, with all of these recent castings, audiences will get a better understanding of what to expect from the actual plot of the film sooner rather than later. Will the movie actually have Reyes go up against a Darkseid-like Villain? Maybe this year's DC FanDome will have some fun reveals lying in wait.
Blue Beetle is set to be released in theaters on August 18, 2023.
