DC Studios boss James Gunn confirmed Jaime Reyes, aka the titular Blue Beetle (Xolo Maridueña), is the first official DC Universe character.
On the Inside of You podcast with Michael Rosenbaum, Gunn revealed that “the first DCU character, for sure, is Blue Beetle” while Superman: Legacy is “the first full DCU movie.”
Gunn previously shared that The Flash, starring Ezra Miller as the Scarlet Speedster, will reset the timeline, allowing for some, but not all, characters to continue from the DC Extended Universe into the DC Universe. So, while Blue Beetle was developed under the previous DC Films regime, the film will exist in the new timeline since it comes out after the release of The Flash. Meanwhile, Superman: Legacy will be the first DCU film fully developed and produced by DC Studios under the leadership of Gunn and Peter Safran.
Who Stars in Blue Beetle?
Maridueña leads Blue Beetle as the titular superhero, recent college graduate Jaime Reyes, who “returns home full of aspirations for his future, only to find that home is not quite as he left it. As he searches to find his purpose in the world, fate intervenes when Jaime unexpectedly finds himself in possession of an ancient relic of alien biotechnology: the Scarab,” reads the film’s synopsis. “When the Scarab suddenly chooses Jaime to be its symbiotic host, he is bestowed with an incredible suit of armor capable of extraordinary and unpredictable powers, forever changing his destiny as he becomes the Super Hero BLUE BEETLE.”
The ensemble cast for Blue Beetle also includes Bruna Marquezine as Jenny, George Lopez as Rudy, Adriana Barraza as Nana, Belissa Escobedo as Milagros Reyes, Elpidia Carrillo as Rocio, Damián Alcázar as Alberto, Raoul Trujillo as Carapax the Indestructible Man, and Harvey Guillén as Dr. Sanchez, with Becky G as the voice of the alien Scarab, Khaji-Da, and Susan Sarandon as the film’s main villain, Victoria Kord.
Blue Beetle is scheduled to hit theaters on Aug. 18.
