This weekend, the release of ‘Blue Beetle’ marks a special moment in movies. It’s DC’s very first live-action superhero movie featuring a Latino character, and it’s also the first film of a new era at DC Studios led by James Gunn. Ángel Manuel Soto also managed challenges in the film industry to realize the dream of bringing one of the oldest comic book superheroes to life a reality. He also made sure to include a unique Latino viewpoint in the movie, which was important to him.
Blue Beetle journey to the big screen
In early 2020, Soto was staying in his home country of Puerto Rico during quarantine. During this time, he got a call that would lead him to become the director of Blue Beetle. Galen Vaisman, a producer at Warner Bros had watched Soto’s 2020 movie ‘Charm City Kings,’ which won an award at the Sundance Film Festival. After a positive talk and a recommendation from Vaisman to the higher-ups at Warner Bros. and DC, Soto was chosen to work on the script for Blue Beetle written by Gareth Dunnet-Alcocer. He was also chosen to direct the movie, which features a Latino star (Xolo Maridueña from ‘Cobra Kai’) and a mostly Latino cast, all seen through an authentic Latino perspective.
Blue Beetle’s universe was changed
After finishing filming in the summer of 2022, something big happened to the world of ‘Blue Beetle.’ Warner Bros. and Discovery joined forces, causing changes in the team and even canceling a whole movie called ‘Batgirl,’ which would have been a big opportunity for a Latina actress (Leslie Grace). Soto’s phone kept buzzing with messages while he was on vacation with his wife, celebrating the end of filming. He talked about this in an interview. His friends were curious: If Batgirl couldn’t make it, what about a less-known character like Blue Beetle?
Then, James Gunn and Peter Safran came into the picture. With new leadership in charge of DC at Warner Bros., the movie part of DC became DC Studios. This name change showed that they were starting a new exciting era, trying to bring back the greatness of old movies. Gunn announced that ‘Blue Beetle’ would be the first character in his new ‘DCU,’ with the movie hitting theaters on Friday. The message was clear: This version of Blue Beetle, a character loved by younger DC fans through animations, video games, and comics, was going to be a part of DC’s future in movies.
Reviving the oldest superhero
There have been three versions of the Blue Beetle, which is one of the oldest and most enduring superheroes in the world of comics. The original Blue Beetle, named Dan Garrett, made his debut in the comic ‘Mystery Men Comics No. 1 back in 1939. The second version is a brilliant inventor named Ted Kord, who first appeared in a side story within ‘Captain Atom’ No. 83 in 1966, created by the co-creator of Spider-Man, Steve Ditko. The newest Blue Beetle at DC Comics is Jaime Reyes, and he takes center stage in the hero’s very first movie (which also gives a nod to the earlier Blue Beetles). Jaime is a young Mexican American who forms a special connection with an alien scarab, which gives him incredible high-tech armor and the power to conjure up any weapon he can imagine. Jaime was introduced in the DC Comics world in 2005, specifically in ‘Infinite Crisis No. 3.
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