The upcoming DC Extended Universe Blue Beetle movie is expanding its cast with the addition of Susan Sarandon as its villain Victoria Kord. Originally created by Keith Giffen, John Rogers and Cully Hammer, Jaime Reyes made his comics debut in Infinite Crisis No. 3 as an El Paso teenager who discovers the Blue Beetle scarab, which grafts itself on to his spine. This in turn grants Jaime superhuman abilities via his Blue Beetle armor, including strength, speed, weaponry and wings.
Development on a Blue Beetle movie was first said to be in the works in late 2018 with Gareth Dunnet-Alcocer penning the script before officially moving forward with indie director Angel Manuel Soto at the helm in early 2021. Casting would get underway shortly thereafter as Cobra Kai breakout star Xolo Maridueña was signed to portray the titular hero and the roster has since continued to grow with George Lopez, Adrianna Barraza, Elpidia Carrillo, Damián Alcázar, Belissa Escobedo, Roul Max Trujillo, Bruna Marquezine and Harvey Guillén. Initially developed as an HBO Max movie, Blue Beetle is being re-eyed for a theatrical release next year and with production set to begin sometime in the next few months, a major new addition has been made to its cast.
With production on the film right around the corner, The Wrap has brought word that the Blue Beetle movie has found its villain in the form of Susan Sarandon. The Oscar winner has signed on to portray Victoria Kord, a new character created specifically for the film. No further details were revealed about the villain at the time of writing.
Sarandon's casting as the Blue Beetle movie's villain comes just over a month after it was first reported that Oscar nominee Sharen Stone had entered talks to portray Kord for the film. Though it's unclear why the Thelma & Louise star was cast in favor of the Basic Instinct actress, it should still serve as a strong sign of the character's potential to have attracted stars of both Sarandon and Stone's caliber for the role. Additionally, while reports have stated Kord is an entirely new character for the Blue Beetle movie, some curiosity has been raised towards the similarity in last names between the villain and second comic Blue Beetle Ted Kord.
Theories of the connection between Victoria Kord and the second incarnation of the hero were seemingly further cemented when Mayans M.C. star Raoul Max Trujillo joined the Blue Beetle movie as Carapax the Indestructible Man. The villain first appeared in Blue Beetle Vol. 6 No. 1 as an enemy of the Ted Kord version of the character, raising questions as to whether the filmmakers are electing to take a new approach to both Victoria and Carapax or if Jaime is not the first to don the Blue Beetle mantle within the DCEU. Only time will tell when Blue Beetle hits theaters on August 18, 2023.
Source: The Wrap