The first poster for “Blue Beetle” was unveiled during DC Studios and Warner Bros. Discovery’s CCXP presentation Saturday in São Paulo, Brazil.
The poster is reminiscent of the first teaser for countless comic book superhero films, from “Batman” in 1989 to “X-Men” in 2000 in that it’s entirely comprised of the title character(s)’ iconic logo. It’s all about that alien scarab beetle that gives young Jamie Reyes (Xolo Maridueña from Netflix’s “Cobra Kai”) his otherworldly powers.
The film will also star Susan Sarandon as the villainous Victoria Kord, with Belissa Escodobo, Bruna Marquezine, George Lopez, Raoul Max Trujillo and “What We Do In the Shadows” scene-stealer Harvey Guillén lending support. The film was initially intended as an HBO Max original before it was bumped up to theatrical release status. That promotion turned out to be a proverbial life-saver when the other big HBO Max DC Comics movie, “Batgirl” (starring Leslie Grace, Michael Keaton, J.K. Simmons and Brendan Fraser) was canceled this past August.
Penned by Gareth Dunnet-Alcocer and directed by Angel Manuel Soto, “Blue Beetle” will be the first major studio DC or Marvel movie centering on a Latinx superhero. Those who were understandably upset at the notion of a major DC superhero movie centered on an Afro-Latinx actress (and co-starring transgender actress Ivory Aquino as Barbara Gordon’s best pal) getting shelved for a tax write-off have a chance to put their money where their anger is when this “not a white guy” DC superhero movie closes out the summer.
“Blue Beetle” will open on Aug. 18, 2023, between “The Flash” on June 23 and “Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom” on Dec. 25. It will, at this juncture, be the last big tentpole release of summer 2023, even as it’ll coexist amid a refreshingly crowded summer alongside Paramount’s animated “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem,” Warner Bros. Discovery’s “The Meg 2: The Trench” Walt Disney’s “Haunted Mansion” and Universal’s “Last Voyage of the Demeter.”
