DC Studios’ co-chair James Gunn recently clarified that the upcoming film Blue Beetle will be the first project in the all-new, all-different DCU. The film, which hits theaters on August 18, 2023 stars Xolo Maridueña as Jaime Reyes and was directed by Angel Miguel Soto, was originally slated to release on HBO Max Warner Bros. changed gears and pushed it into theaters, providing a bigger platform for the film. Now that its place in the new DCU is settled, it seems like it might just be the beginning for the character.
“Our first movie, the way we wanted to do it, was always with the mentality that we wanted to do two more, at least,” Soto told Total Film. “And taking the traditional three-act structure of a story, we wanted our first movie to practically be the first act of a saga,” the director explained, indicating big plans for Maridueña‘s Reyes.
Soto went on to explain that Gunn and co-chair Peter Safran have been putting in some work behind the scenes to make sure Blue Beetle can not only stand on its own but also be fully integrated into the future of the DCU. “We are part of the universe, we are part of the world,” explained Soto. “We are part of the plans that they have been creating for the future installments of the DCU but we are not tied to all the films from the past. Yes, our movie lives in the world where superheroes exist. But that doesn’t mean that a certain event, or certain alliance, or certain things from the past dictate where our film is going,” indicating that perhaps Reyes will soon have the chance to interact with some of the other heavy hitters that will populate the new shared universe.
As for what those plans are, it may be a while before we all find out. The ongoing WGA strike and the looming SAG strike will certainly go a long way in determining when Jamie Reyes pops up next in the DCU.
Source: Total Film via Games Radar
