DC Studios Appears to Have Scrapped Its BLUE BEETLE Animated Series
When James Gunn and Peter Safran unveiled DC Studios' Chapter 1: Gods and Monsters, it felt like fans were finally getting a clear roadmap for the future of DC on film and TV.
Fast forward a couple of years, and that roadmap has hit a few unexpected detours. Several announced projects have stalled, and now it looks like another one may have joined that growing list.
Back in 2024, DC Studios announced plans for an animated Blue Beetle series that would continue the story of Jaime Reyes after the 2023 film. The project already seemed well underway at the time.
Miguel Puga (The Casagrandes) was attached as showrunner after reportedly working on the series for months, while Cristian Martinez (Women of the Movement) was writing it.
The creative team also included Blue Beetle director Angel Manuel Soto and screenwriter Gareth Dunnet-Alcocer as executive producers alongside John Ricard and Galen Vaisman.
Fans were also excited to learn that Xolo Maridueña would return to voice Jaime Reyes, with other cast members from the movie expected to reprise their roles as well.
There was some debate over whether the animated series would act as a direct continuation of the movie or serve as a soft reboot that folded Jaime into the new DC Universe while leaving the old DCEU behind. Most assumed it would probably accomplish both.
Now, following the recent news that Maridueña will officially return as Blue Beetle in Superman follow-up Man of Tomorrow, a new report from Deadline has cast serious doubt on the future of the animated series.
According to Deadline: "Last year, HBO Max revealed it would prioritise adult and family programming, with children’s programming taking a step back because it doesn’t fare as well and is no longer viewed as a priority.
“The Blue Beetle animated series was targeting young audiences, who made up a large swath of the giant bug’s fanbase. There have been no updates on the project since the original announcement."
That certainly doesn't sound encouraging. While DC Studios hasn't officially canceled the series, its absence from the studio's recent Annecy Animation Festival presentation is hard to ignore.
Instead, the spotlight was on projects moving forward, including Creature Commandos Season 2, My Adventures with Green Lantern, Absolute Batman, Joker: Laugh Riot, and Krypto.
With no mention of Blue Beetle, it feels likely that the series has slipped off the schedule. If that ends up being the case, it would join other announced Chapter 1: Gods and Monsters projects that have yet to gain any real momentum, including Waller, The Authority, and Swamp Thing.
Ironically, Maridueña sounded incredibly optimistic about the show's future just last year. "I'm ready to come back," he declared. "We're hitting hard this animated project, hoping to get this settled out this year to show everyone next year."
When asked whether he'd talked with Gunn about returning in live action, Maridueña kept things light, saying: "Look, he's got his hands in his kitchen. I don't want to walk in while the chef is doing his thing. But I can say that once they're finished with this three-course meal, I'm ready. And look, I have no reason to believe that he's lying."
He also added: "Like, whatever, we're adults, say whatever you want to say! [Laughs] I'm just happy to have done this first one and I'll continue to spread the word about that while we get the second one drafted up."
The good news is that Blue Beetle's future in the DCU isn't in question. Maridueña is officially set to return in Man of Tomorrow, giving fans another chance to see Jaime Reyes back in action on the big screen.
Still, it's a shame if the animated series has ended up on the shelf. It would’ve been a fun way to further develop Jaime's story while expanding the DCU through animation. Hopefully DC Studios eventually finds another opportunity to revisit the idea.
Man of Tomorrow flies into theaters on July 9, 2027.