Blue Beetle star Xolo Maridueña is eager to be a mainstay of the DC Universe for years to come as he’s hoping to play Jaime Reyes for more than a decade.
Per Entertainment Weekly, the actor revealed that he’s in the franchise for the long haul, noting that he has aspirations to continue Blue Beetle’s legacy long into the future. “I want to do 12 more years of Blue Beetle,” Maridueña said before confirming that he’s had discussions with DC Studios co-CEOs James Gunn and Peter Safran about potential sequels and cameos. “They’re really happy for our project and so excited for us to kick off what is to eventually become the next DCU,” he continued.
“I’m excited to see what they have in mind and how Blue Beetle and the rest of his family might loop into the rest. But my heart is already so fulfilled with this movie,” Maridueña concluded. “If we do 20 of these movies and 40 cameos or if it’s just this one, what’s most exciting to me is the opportunity for people to see it and have little kids everywhere saying, ‘Oh my gosh, this guy looks like me. I can be a hero, too.’
New DCU, Same Blue Beetle
Blue Beetle is Maridueña’s first big screen performance, having broken into the industry with a role in the popular Netflix drama Cobra Kai. Whether his career in the DCU continues remains to be seen but Gunn has previously said that while Superman: Legacy is the first movie in the rebooted franchise, he considers Blue Beetle to be the cinematic universe’s first character.
Blue Beetle follows Jaime Reyes, an unassuming college graduate who comes into contact with an alien artifact known as The Scarab. Before he knows it, the tiny machine bonds with him, revealing itself to be a high-tech weapon that takes the form of shapeshifting body armor. Jaime and his family are thrown into a battle for survival when the sinister Kord Industries plans to steal away The Scarab and use its abilities for its own advancement.
Blue Beetle flies into theaters on August 18.
