Susan Sarandon officially wrapped filming on Warner Bros. and DC Films' upcoming Blue Beetle film.
"And that’s a wrap on Victoria Kord!" Sarandon wrote on Instagram, sharing a photo from San Juan, Puerto Rico. The actor is slated to portray the film's antagonist, Victoria Kord, who shares the same last name as Ted Kord, one of the first iterations of Blue Beatle, who first appeared in DC Comics in 1966.
Directed by Angel Manuel Soto and written by Gareth Dunnet-Alcocer, Blue Beetle will star Xolo Maridueña as Jaime Reyes, the third and most recent iteration of the titular hero. It was announced in April 2022 that Sarandon had been tapped to play the villainous Victoria Kord in the upcoming film, replacing Sharon Stone in the role. Kord will be one of Blue Beetle's two villains, with the other being Conrad Carapax/Carapax the Indestructible Man, played by Raoul Max Trujillo.
Are You There, Ted?
While it's unclear at this time how Victoria is related to Ted Kord/Blue Beetle, the character was created specifically for the upcoming DC Extended Universe film. An appearance from Ted is unconfirmed, but official Blue Beetle concept art hints that Kord Industries, the company owned by Ted Kord, will have a significant role in the film. It has also been reported that Warner Bros. is casting for Ted Kord, with rumors that Jason Sudeikis would take on the role recently debunked.
Maridueña's casting as Blue Beetle was announced in August 2021 and the DCEU film itself was announced in November 2018. In February 2021, Soto, who previously directed Charm City King, 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."
There have been three versions of Blue Beetle in the comics and 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 Scarab, one of the most powerful pieces of technology in the universe, which granted the original Blue Beetle his powers. It outfits him with an alien exosuit that grants him numerous abilities, including flight, enhanced strength, and weapon and energy generation. Ted Kord was the second Blue Beetle, who took up the mantle from Dan Garret.
Blue Beetle is expected to arrive in theaters on Aug. 18, 2023.
Source: Instagram