Warner Bros. recently had a cancellation spree of projects under their belt, starting with Leslie Grace's Batgirl movie. Once this DC film was cut, it kickstarted a domino effect that led to the abandonment of several more projects on HBO Max.
This development led many fans to wonder if other films like Blue Beetle will receive the axe as well. The aforementioned project is directed by Angel Manuel Soto and the lead role will be portrayed by Cobra Kai's Xolo Maridueña, bringing a new superhero into his first live-action outing.
Now, ahead of its 2023 release, a promising update about Blue Beetle has emerged online amidst rumors regarding its fate.
Blue Beetle Director Reveals DC Film's Fate
Blue Beetle director Angel Manuel Soto and lead actor Xolo Maridueña sat down with NPR to discuss the film's true fate under Warner Bros. as well as comparisons of the DC hero to Iron Man and Green Lantern.
Soto first admitted that there was "concern, anger, fear" at first upon learning about the news regarding Batgirl's cancellation. However, the Puerto Rican director revealed that Warner Bros. executives responded to his concerns by reassuring him that Blue Beetle won't suffer the same fate as the Leslie Grace-led movie:
"I'm not going to lie. There was concern, anger, fear at first. They told me not to worry, the film has their full support."
Meanwhile, Maridueña talked about his DC hero, describing him as a "fusion of Green Lantern and Iron Man:"
"He's kind of like a fusion of Green Lantern and Iron Man. He has a scarab from outer space that is attached to his body called Khaji da."
In the comics, Jaime Reyes becomes Blue Beetle when he's implanted with super-powered alien armor. The actor continued to explain Reyes' heritage, saying:
"He's a first-generation Mexican-American kid from El Paso, Texas."
The DCEU newcomer also unveiled that Blue Beetle is one of the oldest characters in the DC Universe, but he also noted that this version is new.
Blue Beetle scribe Gareth Dunnet Alcocer further touched on the journey of Reyes and his family in the movie:
"What would my mom do if an alien technology burrowed into my spine? She would not think it's cool. And for the Reyes family, this is terrible. 'We're going to get attention from American institutions, from the government, from military, from the police.'"
Blue Beetle's Confirmed Theatrical Release is a Promising Sign
Warner Bros.' reassurance that Blue Beetle will not be canceled is a promising sign, meaning that the film's cast and crew can now have their sigh of relief following Batgirl's cancellation.
The fact that the studio directly promised the movie's fate to the director is an encouraging development as well, meaning that it wants to build more trust with the filmmaker after a disappointing cancellation spree of projects.
Now that cancellation concerns are out of the way, fans can now focus on how Blue Beetle fits in the DCEU.
While it is unknown if Blue Beetle will be part of DC's reported 10-year plan, Xolo Maridueña's comments about the character are exciting prospects for fans, especially after the tease that his DCEU hero is a fusion of Iron Man and Green Lantern.
It's possible that Blue Beetle is part of the "new era" that Dwayne Johnson is teasing during Black Adam's promotional run, thus potentially indicating why Warner Bros. decides not to cancel the movie.
Whatever the case, Blue Beetle has an exciting future ahead, and fans can catch it when it premieres in theaters on August 18, 2023.
