- Blue Beetle, starring Xolo Maridueña as Jaime Reyes, will premiere on Max on November 17 and in theaters.
- Director Ángel Manuel Soto emphasized the importance of experiencing the film on the big screen for full immersion in action and cultural elements.
- Despite being DC’s lowest-grossing film, Blue Beetle will not be the end of Jaime Reyes’ journey, with director Ángel Manuel Soto and James Gunn discussing potential future projects.
Blue Beetle, an action-packed adventure film, is scheduled to premiere on Max on November 17. The movie features Xolo Maridueña as Jaime Reyes, who becomes the chosen host of an ancient Scarab relic, acquiring a powerful suit of armor in the process. The film has received positive ratings of 78% from critics and an impressive 92% from the audience on Rotten Tomatoes.
Originally, Blue Beetle was intended for exclusive streaming on Max. However, director Ángel Manuel Soto strongly believed that the big screen was the best way for audiences to experience the action, intricate suit designs, and cultural elements of the film. Consequently, Warner Bros. revisited their initial plan and decided to release the movie in theaters.
Soto said in an interview with Collider, “It can’t be that the first time that we have a Latino superhero front and center—not just a Latino playing a hero, but where he is a Latino, his family is Latino, and they’re gonna actually be heroes of their own stories for the first time. It cannot just live on streaming. He has to go to the theaters. [W]e worked very, very hard to do this world-building where the action sequences, the suit, the passion of the family, and the cultural aspects are presented in a way worthy of watching it, not only in the theater but even on IMAX, and being able to see our communities that way. I think that we did an amazing job in bringing it to life on the concept development of it all that at the end Warner Brothers decided that this movie has to go to the theaters.”
Although Blue Beetle is DC’s lowest-grossing film with a global earning of $129 million, this will not mark the end of Jaime Reyes’ story. Director Ángel Manuel Soto has revealed that he and James Gunn have discussed possible future directions for the character, including the upcoming Booster Gold Max show. Soto said, “Yeah, we have had conversations about it and that’s where he mentioned to me Booster Gold [Max] show that is going to come out. Now, where does it fit, how is it gonna play out? We haven’t talked about that. But we both have talked about our interest in continuing Jaime’s story, and finding a way for that story to be a part of this new universe.”
The impressive cast of Blue Beetle also includes Susan Sarandon as the film’s antagonist, Victoria Kord, and George Lopez as Uncle Rudy Reyes. Other notable cast members are Elpidia Carrillo, Raoul Max Trujillo, Adriana Barraza, Jorge Jimenez, Bruna Marquezine, Belissa Escobedo, and Damián Alcázar. The film is set to debut on Max for streaming on November 17th.