Warner Bros. and DC Films' Blue Beetle live-action movie will reportedly release on HBO Max. Fans of DC's comics have experienced live-action films for decades, but it has only been in recent years that heroes not named Batman or Superman have been given a chance to lead their own films. The DC Extended Universe's strategy brought dozens of movies into development featuring a wide range of characters. While not every film moved forward, characters like Wonder Woman, Aquaman, and Harley Quinn have become significant stars.
One of the recent DC comic characters to receive a solo movie announcement is Jaime Reyes, aka Blue Beetle. Warner Bros. and DC Films began developing a film centered around the young Mexican-American hero in early 2021. It was announced that Charm City Kings director Angel Manuel Soto would helm Blue Beetle, the DCEU's first movie starring a Latino hero. Fans of Jaime Reyes were immediately excited about the prospects of a Blue Beetle movie, even though it was not clear when it will happen or how it will be released.
According to a new report from LA Times, Warner Bros. and DC Films are planning for Blue Beetle to release on HBO Max. The news came as part of a rundown of HBO Max's future following the merger between Warner Bros. and Discovery. Blue Beetle is one of many mid-budget DC movies now reportedly heading to the streaming service. The studio does not confirm this, and the standalone film does not yet have a release date.
WB has already been busy experimenting with releasing movies on HBO Max in different ways. Their entire 2021 movie slate is premiering in theaters and on the streaming service simultaneously. While that plan will change back to an exclusive theatrical release in 2022, it is possible that some films could still receive similar treatment. It is not yet known if Blue Beetle will be exclusive to HBO Max upon its release or if it will receive a theatrical release of some kind. Warner Bros. might not confirm the release plans until much later, so fans will have to wait and see what ultimately happens.
If Blue Beetle receives an HBO Max release, it will join Batgirl and possibly Static Shock as HBO Max exclusive DC movies. These three movies will star fan-favorite characters who will also increase the diversity of superhero movie leads. DC has found success with Wonder Woman and Aquaman, so the decision to continue putting other possible breakout heroes on the small screen is surprising. Even if Blue Beetle does become an HBO Max original, hopefully, the studios will still give fans a chance to see the movie on the big screen in some capacity.
Source: LA Times
