With all the recent changes still going on at Warner Bros, particularly with the complete uprooting of the DC Universe, it’s all certainly left fans feeling anxious about what’s to lie ahead for the studio as friendly rival Marvel continues to soldier forward into its next phase. However, one especially exciting upcoming project that audiences can definitely rally around is Blue Beetle (2023), which so far has been getting a lot of fanfare on its promotional circuit. The film, which was originally supposed to be a straight-to-stream HBO Max deal, will formally introduce new superhero Blue Beetle to the DCU. It was recently showcased at the CCXP Convention in Brazil, a new promotional poster was revealed, and the hype grew even louder. Perhaps it’s too on the nose, but one can wonder if the movie will give DC its own blockbuster-breaking bug hero like Marvel’s Spider-Man.
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Blue Beetle will introduce Jaime Reyes as the teenager who one day encounters an alien blue beetle scarab that grafts onto him, forming a powerful exoskeleton around his body that effectively transforms him into the third incantation of the insect superhero. The first two included Dan Garrett as the Golden Age Blue Beetle, and then the popular scientist and inventor Ted Kord, who will have a unique connection in the new film. Award-winning actress Susan Sarandon joined the cast as original character and villain Victoria Kord, which is likely at least a nod to the bug hero’s former alter ego Ted Kord, if not possibly a familial tie that could play a deeper role in the plot. Either notion remains to be seen until the first trailer releases. Either way, Sarandon was not only super eager to hop on board in her first-ever comic movie role, but she had more to share about what she wants fans to see most. Per an exclusive interview with Collider, she remarked:
Blue Beetle, which is already making history as the first Latinx-led DC film, stars Xolo Maridueña as Jaime Reyes, Bruna Marquezine as Penny, George Lopez as Rudy, Raoul Trujillo as Carapax the Indestructible Man, and many others. The movie’s official release date is August 18th, 2023.
“My God, to be in a comic book and to be the bad guy, that was great. And I had great outfits, and I wanted to be a little bit more androgynous, but that scared them. So I’m a little bit more gentle, but that was really a fun thing too. That young director, Angel [Manuel Soto], was fabulous. And I mean, we’re gushing a lot. It sounds phony, but really, I love the enormity of it. His whole family is Mexican and they’re all Mexican actors, and my henchman is Native American. So it was pretty unusual. It’s the first superhero movie that stars a Latino, so that’s pretty special, and he’s great. The kid’s great.”
Sarandon Among Many Actors Continuing to Dip Their Toe Into Comic Films
Susan Sarandon is the latest, albeit probably unexpected addition to the ever-growing roster of actors taking a go at the DC/Marvel Comic film experience. Whether it’s a mere bucket list aspiration or something more, it’s hard to overlook the impact the genre is having on the acting front. While some younger, attractive actors like Chris Evans, Scarlett Johansson, Gal Gadot and Henry Cavill seem like obvious choices to fill the shoes of various heroes, others have definitely seemed more left field and yet often have made just as much of an impact in the roles they filled.
Actors like Cate Blanchett who tackled the one-time villainous role of Hela in Thor Ragnarok (2017) with her usual perfect mix of grace and vigor, and even Anthony Hopkins whose mostly classic filmography was starkly different before his flawless performance as Odin in the entire Thor franchise. Others like Viola Davis, who also killed her role as DC’s Amanda Waller in both Suicide Squad renditions, Nicole Kidman who starred as Queen Atlanna in Aquaman (2018), and Angelina Jolie who joined the heroic ensemble in the Eternals (2021) film all surprised and impressed audiences. As more and more comic films come to the drawing table, casting continues to diversify further in all the best ways, proving that the stigma around participating in such films has all but faded.
