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Blue Beetle (film)

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Blue Beetle
Theatrical release poster
Directed byAngel Manuel Soto
Written byGareth Dunnet-Alcocer
Based onCharacters
from DC
Produced by
  • John Rickard
  • Zev Foreman
Starring
CinematographyPawel Pogorzelski
Edited byCraig Alpert
Music byBobby Krlic
Production
companies
Distributed byWarner Bros. Pictures
Release date
  • August 18, 2023 (2023-08-18)
Running time
127 minutes[1]
CountryUnited States
Languages
  • English
  • Spanish
Budget$120 million[2]

Blue Beetle is an upcoming American superhero film based on the DC Comics character Jaime Reyes / Blue Beetle, produced by DC Studios and The Safran Company. The film was directed by Angel Manuel Soto and written by Gareth Dunnet-Alcocer. It is intended to be the 14th film in the DC Extended Universe (DCEU). The film stars Xolo Maridueña as Jaime Reyes / Blue Beetle alongside Adriana Barraza, Damián Alcázar, Raoul Max Trujillo, Susan Sarandon, and George Lopez.

Development of a film featuring Reyes began by the end of November 2018 with Dunnet-Alcocer attached. Soto was hired to direct the film in February 2021 for the streaming service HBO Max. Maridueña was cast that August, and the film was changed to have a theatrical release in December. Further casting took place in early 2022, before filming took place from late May to mid-July in the Atlanta metropolitan area at Wilder Studios in Decatur, Georgia, as well as in El Paso, Texas and Puerto Rico.

Blue Beetle is scheduled to be released in the United States on August 18, 2023, by Warner Bros. Pictures.

Premise

After Jaime Reyes graduates from college and returns to his hometown Palmera City, he is chosen to become a symbiotic host to the Scarab, an ancient alien biotechnological relic that grants him a powerful exoskeleton armor, turning him into the superhero Blue Beetle.[3]

Cast

Other members of Jaime's family include Elpidia Carrillo as Rocio Reyes, Jaime's mother,[6][3] and Belissa Escobedo as Milagro Reyes, Jaime's younger sister.[11] Additionally, Bruna Marquezine portrays Jenny Kord, Victoria's niece and Jaime's love interest;[11][3][8] Harvey Guillén portrays Dr. Sanchez, a scientist who works for Victoria;[3][10] and Becky G voices Khaji-Da, the entity that imbues and controls the Scarab.[12]

Production

Development

Warner Bros. Pictures and DC Films were developing a film based on Jaime Reyes / Blue Beetle by the end of November 2018, with Mexican-born Gareth Dunnet-Alcocer writing the screenplay. Zev Foreman was executive producing the project for Warner Bros., which was set to be the first DC Extended Universe (DCEU) film as well as the first live-action superhero film starring a Latino lead.[13] By December 2020, DC Films was planning to release several mid-budget films a year exclusively on the streaming service HBO Max, rather than in theaters, as part of new DC Films president Walter Hamada's plan for the DCEU,[14] with Blue Beetle listed as one such project in 2021.[15] Puerto Rican Angel Manuel Soto was hired to direct the film in February 2021.[16] In April, Blue Beetle was included on DC's slate of films that were expected to be released in 2022 or 2023.[17] John Rickard, the president of production at the Safran Company, was producing the film for HBO Max by that August,[18][19] when filming was expected to begin in early 2022.[5] In December 2021, Warner Bros. revealed that the film would be receiving a theatrical release in August 2023 instead of being produced directly for HBO Max.[20] In mid-April 2022, Soto and cinematographer Pawel Pogorzelski visited El Paso, Texas, to meet with local artists, muralists, musicians, and historians to understand the feel of the city.[21] Peter Safran was revealed as a producer that October,[19] and worked on the film until he became the co-chairman and co-CEO of DC Studios alongside James Gunn the next month;[22][23] Rickard and Foreman were credited as the producers.[3]

Writing

In October 2021, Soto said Dunnet-Alcocer's script featured "the Latino family at its core",[24] while star Xolo Maridueña said in August 2022 that the family aspect of the film and character were "inherent to the comics" and felt had not been explored as much with other superhero films.[25] Fellow star Susan Sarandon revealed the following month that the film would have several scenes spoken in Spanish, with subtitles being provided.[26] The final writing credits were given to Dunnet-Alcocer, with off-screen additional literary credit given to Gary Dauberman.[27]

The film is set in the fictional Palmera City, which was an original creation for the film, rather than El Paso as is featured in the comics.[28] Soto said this was to create a world specific to Jaime Reyes on a similar level to Metropolis for Superman and Gotham City for Batman, and to help position the character as "a potential leader" in the new DC-based franchise the DC Universe (DCU). Inspiration for the film came from the video game Injustice 2 (2017) and the comic book storyline "Infinite Crisis" (2005–2006), in which Jaime Reyes debuted, along with the comics in The New 52 for the design of the suit, while the comic book miniseries Blue Beetle: Graduation Day (2022–2023) incorporated elements from the film.[29]

Casting

Xolo Maridueña was Soto's first choice to portray Reyes, with Soto explaining that he "couldn't stop seeing [Maridueña] as the character" since he was hired to direct the film.[5] Soto and Warner Bros. offered the role to Maridueña on August 1, 2021,[30] he was publicly revealed to be in talks for the film the next day,[4] and his casting was officially confirmed later that day at the premiere for the DCEU film The Suicide Squad.[5][30] When learning of the role, Maridueña was most excited that Reyes is a Latino character and he could bring Latino representation to a superhero project.[5]

In early March 2022, Bruna Marquezine was cast as Reyes's love interest, Jenny Kord,[11][3] with Belissa Escobedo playing Reyes's sister Milagros,[11] and Harvey Guillén cast as Dr. Sanchez.[11][3] Later that month, the rest of Reyes's family was cast: George Lopez as uncle Rudy, Adriana Barraza as Nana, Elpidia Carrillo as Rocio, and Damián Alcázar as Alberto. Soto said he wanted to create an authentic Mexican family with real accents and experiences, and also wanted the elder members of the family to be portrayed by "beloved" Mexican actors from Latin American cinema who had also crossed over to United States cinema and paved the way for members of the younger generation, such as Maridueña and Escobedo.[6] By the end of the same month, Sharon Stone was in talks to play the villain Victoria Kord, an original creation for the film which was believed to be the wife of Ted Kord, the second Blue Beetle in the comics.[31] Raoul Trujillo also joined the cast then as Carapax the Indestructible Man.[7] In mid-April 2022, Susan Sarandon was cast as Victoria Kord after negotiations with Stone ended.[9] In June 2023, Becky G announced that she would be providing the voice of Khaji-Da for the film.[12]

Filming

Principal photography began by May 25, 2022,[32] taking place in the Atlanta metropolitan area, primarily at Wilder Studios in Decatur, Georgia,[33] using the working title Mofongo.[34] Pawel Pogorzelski served as the cinematographer.[21] Filming also occurred in El Paso and Puerto Rico.[35] Sarandon completed filming her scenes by the end of June,[36] and Trujillo said in early July that filming was almost complete.[35] Filming wrapped on July 18 in Puerto Rico.[37] Two days of additional photography took place in February 2023.[23]

Editing and visual effects

Craig Alpert serves as the film's editor, while Kelvin McIlwain serves as the visual effects supervisor, after previously working on the DCEU films Aquaman (2018) and The Suicide Squad (2021).[3] Visual effects vendors included Digital Domain, Rise FX, Rodeo FX, and Industrial Light & Magic.[38]

Music

Bobby Krlic was confirmed to score the film by the trailer's release in April 2023.[39]

Marketing

Soto, Dunnet-Alcocer, and Maridueña promoted the film at the virtual DC FanDome event in October 2021, where they discussed their preparation for filming and revealed concept art for the film.[40] The first trailer for the film was released on April 3, 2023, revealing that the film will take place in Palmera City, a new location created for the film. It also showed a first look at the costumes of Dan Garrett and Ted Kord, the previous Blue Beetles before Jaime.[28] The Verge's Ash Parrish thought that the trailer looked "fun" and stated: "I didn't immediately roll my eyes at yet another superhero flick, so that might be a good sign DC has something decent on its hands."[41]

Release

Blue Beetle is scheduled for theatrical release in the United States on August 18, 2023.[20] A screening in El Paso is also planned.[21]

Box office projections

In the United States and Canada, Blue Beetle is projected to earn $12–17 million in its opening weekend, with a projected domestic total of $27–$55 million.[42]

Future

In January 2023, Gunn said the film was "disconnected" from previous DCEU entries and could connect to the new franchise, the DC Universe (DCU).[43] By that April, the Blue Beetle character was reportedly part of Gunn and Safran's plans for the DCU.[3] In June, Gunn said Blue Beetle would be the first DCU character while noting Superman: Legacy (2025) is the first DCU film.[44] Later that month, Soto said Blue Beetle was a part of the DCU and future plans for the franchise, but was not connected to all prior DCEU films, explaining the film "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". He also expressed interest in the film being the first part of a trilogy.[45]

References

  1. ^ "Blue Beetle (12A)". Irish Film Classification Office. July 26, 2023. Archived from the original on July 26, 2023. Retrieved July 26, 2023.
  2. ^ Fuster, Jeremy (June 19, 2023). "'The Flash' and 'Elemental' Flops Send Red Alerts for 2 of Hollywood's Biggest Box Office Brands | Analysis". TheWrap. Archived from the original on June 19, 2023. Retrieved June 20, 2023.
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  4. ^ a b Gonzalez, Umberto (August 2, 2021). "'Cobra Kai' Star Xolo Maridueña in Talks to Star as Latino Superhero 'Blue Beetle' for HBO Max (Exclusive)". TheWrap. Archived from the original on August 2, 2021. Retrieved August 5, 2021.
  5. ^ a b c d e Malkin, Marc (August 4, 2021). "'Cobra Kai' Star Xolo Maridueña on Being Cast as Blue Beetle for HBO Max: 'Representation Is So Important'". Variety. Archived from the original on August 5, 2021. Retrieved August 5, 2021.
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  30. ^ a b Anderson, Jenna (August 2, 2021). "Blue Beetle: Xolo Maridueña Casting Confirmed at The Suicide Squad Premiere". ComicBook.com. Archived from the original on August 3, 2021. Retrieved May 6, 2023.
  31. ^ D'Alessandro, Anthony (March 29, 2022). "Sharon Stone In Final Talks To Play Villain In Warner Bros/DC's 'Blue Beetle'". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on March 29, 2022. Retrieved March 29, 2022.
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  33. ^ Ho, Rodney (February 4, 2022). "DC superhero flick 'Blue Beetle' will be shooting in metro Atlanta". The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Archived from the original on February 17, 2022. Retrieved February 26, 2022.
  34. ^ Ho, Rodney (June 15, 2022). "What is filming in Georgia in June 2022?". The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Archived from the original on June 17, 2022. Retrieved July 6, 2022.
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  36. ^ Hermanns, Grant (June 27, 2022). "Susan Sarandon Confirms Blue Beetle Movie Filming Wrap With New Image". Screen Rant. Archived from the original on June 27, 2022. Retrieved July 6, 2022.
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  38. ^ Frei, Vincent (July 12, 2023). "Blue Beetle – The Art of VFX". The Art of VFX. Archived from the original on July 12, 2023. Retrieved July 25, 2023.
  39. ^ "Bobby Krlic (The Haxan Cloak) Scoring Angel Manuel Soto's 'Blue Beetle'". Film Music Reporter. April 3, 2023. Archived from the original on April 3, 2023. Retrieved April 3, 2023.
  40. ^ Couch, Aaron (October 16, 2021). "'The Batman' Trailer Closes Out DC FanDome Following Looks at 'The Flash,' 'Aquaman 2'". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on October 16, 2021. Retrieved October 16, 2021.
  41. ^ Parrish, Ash (April 3, 2023). "The Blue Beetle busts out a Buster Sword in first trailer". The Verge. Archived from the original on April 3, 2023. Retrieved April 13, 2023.
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  45. ^ Taylor-Foster, Kim (June 17, 2023). "Blue Beetle director confirms movie's place in DCU". Total Film. GamesRadar+. Archived from the original on June 17, 2023. Retrieved June 23, 2023.
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