DC Comics fans are getting a first taste of “Blue Beetle” film. Warner Bros. has revealed the first trailer for the upcoming comic book film, showing “Cobra Kai” star Xolo Maridueña taking flight as the superhero.
Maridueña stars as Jaime Reyes, the third person to take up the mantle of the Blue Beetle in the DC comic books. In the trailer, when Jaime goes for a job interview, he’s handed a mysterious alien scarab inside a fast food container. He waits to open the container until he’s with his family, at which point the scarab attaches itself to Jaime’s body and transforms into a super suit — a surprising subversion of the classic comic book trope that the titular superhero has to hide his identity from his family and friends. In “Blue Beetle,” they know Jaime’s a superhero from the start.
The Reyes version of Blue Beetle is notable for being one of the most prominent Latino superheroes in comics, and the film will feature a predominantly Latino cast, including George Lopez, Adriana Barraza, Elpidia Carrillo, Damián Alcázar and Belissa Escobedo as Jamie’s family members. Bruna Marquezine plays his love interest, Penny, while Raoul Trujillo is the villain Carapax the Indestructible Man.
“What We Do in the Shadows” star Harvey Guillén also joined the cast, plus Susan Sarandon portrays the main villain, Victoria Kord. (In the comics, she’s the sister of the previous owner of the Blue Beetle scarab, Ted Kord.)
Angel Manuel Soto, best known for helming 2020’s “Charm City Kings,” directs “Blue Beetle” from a screenplay by Gareth Dunnet-Alcocer. The film was originally developed as an HBO Max original film, alongside the now-shelved “Batgirl,” but Warner Bros. shifted the project to a theatrical release last year prior to James Gunn and Peter Safran becoming co-CEOs of DC Studios. “Blue Beetle” is currently scheduled to release on Aug. 18.
Watch the trailer below:
