DC's BLUE BEETLE Movie Has Warner Bros. Full Support

When Warner Bros. Discovery started scrapping film and TV projects starting with Batgirl, one movie that I didn’t think had a chance was DC’s Blue Beetle project. I mean, if they canceled Batgirl, why would they stick with Blue Beetle?

Well, according to director Angel Manuel Soto, he was seriously concerned, but in the end, WB backed them and gave this project their full support. During an interview with NPR, Soto said:

“I’m not going to lie. There was concern, anger, fear at first. They told me not to worry, the film has their full support.”

Now, Blue Beetle was originally supposed to stream directly to HBO Max before Warner Bros. Discovery changed it to a theatrical release. It did have a bigger budget than Batgirl, though, with $120 million, which is $40 million more than Batgirl. I was definitely a lot more interested in Batgirl, though.

The story for the movie centers on Jamie Reyes, the alter ego of the Blue Beetle, a vigilante who has a scarab grafted onto his spine that gives him tremendous powers and the ability to emit blue energy.

Blue Beetle stars Xolo Maridueña (Cobra Kai) as Reyes; Bruna Marquezine as Penny, the female lead and love interest; Belissa Escobedo as Jamie’s younger sister, Milagros; as well as Harvey Guillén; and Susan Sarandon as the villain Victoria Kord.

In August 2022, Warner Bros. Discovery shocked the world with the cancellation of HBO Max’s Batgirl. CEO David Zaslav did not believe the film worked and explained how Warner Bros. Discovery will shift back towards the theatrical experience. With a rumored budget of $90 million, Zaslav made it clear that cost-cutting would be a priority. Batgirl’s cancellation raised concerns for the status of future DC Films like Blue Beetle. If Warner Bros. Discovery is willing to cancel an expensive new property like Batgirl, could the same fate happen to Blue Beetle?

Blue Beetle will arrive in theaters on August 18, 2023.