Xolo Maridueña has been officially confirmed as the DC's new live-action Blue Beetle.Word broke yesterday that the Cobra Kai star had been cast as Jaime Reyes, but nothing official was known until the premiere for The Suicide Squad last night. Reporter Aaron Couch revealed that Maridueña was, in fact, playing Blue Beetle, and had just been informed of the fact the evening before at a surprise dinner with Warner Bros. executives. Maridueña and director Angel Manuel Soto appeared at the premiere together.
The Blue Beetle film was announced in November 2018, with Gareth Dunnet-Alcocer joining as the writer for a story focused on Reyes, the modern version of the hero. In February of this year, Charm City King's director Angel Manuel Soto boarded the movie. "It is an honor to direct Blue Beetle, the first Latino superhero film for DC," Soto said at the time. "I want to sincerely thank everyone at Warner Bros. and DC for trusting me to bring Jaime Reyes to life. I can’t wait to make history together."
While there have been three versions of Blue Beetle in the comics, the film will follow Reyes, who debuted in 2006's Infinite Crisis #3 and took up the mantle two issues later. Created by Keith Giffen, John Rogers, and Cully Hamner, Reyes finds the mystical Scarab that granted the original Blue Beetle his powers. It outfits him with an alien exosuit that grants him numerous abilities, including fight, enhanced strength, and weapon and energy generation.
Jaren Brandt Bartlett previously portrayed the Jaime Reyes version of Blue Beetle on Smallville, and the character is a prominent team member on the animated Young Justice series.
On Cobra Kai, Maridueña's Miguel became Johnny Lawrence's first student, and the two eventually open a new dojo together. The new movie will mark the first DC film starring a Latino lead. Originally slated for a theatrical release, Blue Beetle will now premiere on HBO Max, joining Batgirl, which recently cast In the Heights star Leslie Grace as Barbara Gordon and J.K. Simmons reportedly returning as Commissioner Gordon.
Directed by Angel Manuel Soto, Blue Beetle does not yet have a release date, but production is expected to begin in the fall.
Source: Twitter