Although DC’s Blue Beetle movie hasn’t even started shooting yet, the film’s primary creative players were still able to stop by DC FanDome to tease what’s in store for the character’s big-screen debut. Director Angel Manuel Soto appeared alongside screenwriter Gareth Dunnet-Alcocer and star Xolo Maridueña to dish on what it means to be tackling the first major superhero movie starring a Latino protagonist.
The movie will center on the Jamie Reyes version of Blue Beetle. And who better to bring him to life than filmmakers who come from a similar background? Soto and Dunnet-Alcocer both discussed how important it is to honor Jamie’s Mexican-American heritage. They also hinted at what kind of tone we can expect from the film.
“It’s gonna be fun, it’s gonna be funny, it’s gonna be crazy,” said Dunnet-Alcocer. “But it also has feelings. Latin-American people are all of those things, and the movie reflects that. This contains all of what’s great about Blue Beetle, in my opinion.”
As in the comics, Jamie will obtain his powers from the Scarab, which Dunnet-Alcocer described as “one of the most powerful pieces of technology in the universe.” Additionally, the filmmakers revealed new concept art for the costume that Maridueña will wear in the film. Check it out for yourself below.
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“What I love about Blue Beetle, it’s a deeply American character,” added Dunnet-Alcocer. “What I really like about Jamie is that he gets to be a reflection of somebody who’s been around us forever–a Mexican-American kid who wants to be a part of this world, who wants to have a piece of this world, who wants to be able to thrive in this world. And like a lot of people like him, finds himself hitting the same obstacles that a lot of us face.”
“One of the things that Gareth did beautifully was capture the Latino family in its core,” said Soto. “As how we see them, not as how somebody tells us or how somebody has seen them from a third-person perspective. And for once, we’re able to see a hero that comes from a family from a similar economic background to the ones that we came [from], and stands for and that represents the majority of the people who are the ones who are coming from the bottom.”
Blue Beetle will premiere on HBO Max. The studio still hasn’t announced a release date for the film.
What do you think of the design for Blue Beetle’s costume? Give us your impressions in the comment section below!
Recommended Reading: Blue Beetle Vol. 1: The More Things Change
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