Blue Beetle scuttles into CinemaCon to get DCU fans excited about Xolo Maridueña’s superhero debut

Last Updated on April 28, 2023

Last night, Sony dominated the CinemaCon stage with superheroes, Ghostbusters, and Denzel Washington in one of his most brutal films. Today, Warner Bros is taking the spotlight with details and previews for its upcoming slate. Among several films on display was Blue Beetle, starring Xolo Maridueña as Jaime Reyes, the Latino hero who bonds with a technologically advanced scarab to inherit incredible powers.

During the Warner Bros. presentation at CinemaCon, Xolo Maridueña, Bruna Marquezine, and director Angel Manuel Soto took the stage. Soto says Blue Beetle is different from other superhero movies because Jaime’s family is with him all the way, whereas most superhero movies are a solitary journey. The family is not a placeholder. They have heroic arcs too. Xolo says his character is probably the first superhero to get powers he doesn’t want. Bruna plays Jenny Kord, who gets access to the Scarab that gives Blue Beetle his extra-normal abilities. She gives it to him to hide, and it chooses him as its vessel.

Soto describes the movie’s look and the city where the story takes place, Palmera City, as very neon and synth wave. Soto then showed us an extended version of the original trailer, centering more on world-building, action, and characters. Indeed, the movie’s synth wave, VHS, the eighties-retro-style look, is more apparent here and looks gorgeously shot. It’s funny that this was initially for HBO Max, but WB pumped tons of money into it to make it on par with other big superhero movies. We also saw an extended fight scene showing some of Xolo’s Cobra Kai martial arts moves. The movie’s action is pretty physical compared to other superhero movies.

Blue Beetle is one of DC’s final films before studio heads James Gunn and Peter Safran reboot the DCU after the events of The Flash. Before Blue Beetle was confirmed to be a part of WB’s remaining lineup, fans were genuinely concerned it would suffer the same fate as the canceled Batgirl movie. Thankfully, Blue Beetle is getting a wide theatrical release, and the first trailer for the film surprised and delighted DCU fans. While Jaime’s future is yet to be determined, his solo adventure looks to help send the current continuity out with a bang.

Angel Manuel Soto directs Blue Beetle from a script by Gareth Dunnet-Alcocer. In addition to Xolo Maridueña, the Blue Beetle movie also stars George Lopez (Beverly Hills Chihuahua), Adriana Barraza (Rambo: Last Blood), Elpidia Carrillo (Predator), Damián Alcázar (Miss Bala), Belissa Escobedo (American Horror Stories), Bruna Marquezine (God Save the King), Harvey Guillén (What We Do in the Shadows), and Raoul Max Trujillo (Mayans M.C.). Susan Sarandon (Monarch) is also set to star as Victoria Kord, the film’s main villain. Angel Manuel Soto (Charm City Kings) is directing from a script by Gareth Dunnet-Alcocer (Miss Bala).

Are you excited about Blue Beetle? Let us know in the comments!