Depending on how Blue Beetle does critically and commercially, director Ángel Manuel Soto already has ideas planned for potential sequels. The DCEU is bringing in several new heroes as Warner Bros. continues to flesh out its superhero cinematic universe. While Jaime Reyes made his live-action debut in Smallville season 10, the teen hero is about to return to the live-action world over a decade later. Cobra Kai star Xolo Maridueña is set to bring the popular superhero to life in his own movie, with Manuel Soto as the director.
Originally, Blue Beetle would be an exclusive HBO Max original film until Warner Bros., and DC Films decided to give the project a theatrical treatment. Blue Beetle is starting to round out its cast as the movie is set to hit theaters in August 2023. Like most of Warner Bros.'s DC movies, there's still a lot of secrecy surrounding Blue Beetle, including who will be the big bad in the story. Once principal photography commences later this year, more details will likely emerge, either through official announcements from the studio or via set photos.
While Blue Beetle is over a year away from arriving in cinemas, the creative team already has ideas for Jaime's franchise. In a new interview with El Nuevo Día, Manuel Seto chatted about his upcoming DC picture, which will be the first time a Latino character headlines a superhero film. As he discussed the importance of Jaime for representation, the filmmaker made it clear that the 2023 picture is only the start of Blue Beetle's journey in the DCEU. Manuel Seto hinted that the first Blue Beetle story would help set up sequels without going into specifics.
“We have plans, and we’ve talked about working on sequels to Blue Beetle. I, for one, want to work on those sequels. It will all depend on the audience’s response. But at least from a creative standpoint, his story does not end in this first film.”
There are several things to consider when looking at his comments about future Blue Beetle stories. The first film will be an origin story as Jaime discovers the alien scarab that allows him to access the extraterrestrial armor and its powers that help him operate as Blue Beetle. If there is meant to be a red thread that goes through what could be a trilogy, there's a chance the creative team has a villain or two in mind that will be further fleshed out after the first movie. Depending on how Blue Beetle does with audience members and at the box office, it's worth remembering that Jaime could easily get incorporated into DCEU films.
The arrival of Blue Beetle is very fitting as both DC and Marvel are beginning to focus more on younger heroes on the big and small screen. In DC's case, The CW has already started to follow more teenage heroes, whether the Kent sons on Superman & Lois, Naomi, Stargirl, which also includes a younger Justice Society of America. Over on HBO Max, Titans have multiple adolescents as part of the team, including Beast Boy and Raven. Depending on Blue Beetle's success, the new franchise may spark more interest for Warner Bros. in having more teenage superheroes headline their own DCEU films.
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Source: El Nuevo Día
