When Blue Beetle was first announced, it was set to be released on HBO Max, alongside Batgirl.
Then when Batgirl was canceled for tax write-off purposes, many wondered if Blue Beetle would suffer a similar fate. Instead, the Angel Manuel Soto-directed superhero pic was upgraded and was announced to now be released in theaters.
In a new interview with Collider, Soto shared the role he played in moving Blue Beetle from streaming to theaters.
Said Soto:
"When I came into the project, the mandate at the time was that everything goes to HBO Max. I was like, I'll do the movie for the opportunity. [But] it can't be that the first time we have a Latino superhero front and center, not just a Latino playing a hero- [but] where he's a Latino, his family is Latino and they're going to actually be heroes of their own stories for the first time, it can not just live on streaming. It has to go to the theaters."
"The whole experience of watching these fantastical movies is to be amazed and in awe about being able to see our culture represented differently."
"We worked very, very hard to do this world-building where the action sequences, the suit, the passion of the family, and the cultural aspects are presented in a way worthy of watching it, not only in the theater but even on IMAX, and being able to see our communities that way. I think that we did an amazing job in bringing it to life on the concept development of it all that at the end Warner Brothers decided that this movie has to go to the theaters."
You can view Collider's full interview with Soto below.
Do you plan on seeing Blue Beetle when the film hits theaters this Friday, August 18, 2023? Early showings will start on Thursday night. Let us know in the comment section below.
Recent college grad Jaime Reyes returns home full of aspirations for his future, only to find that home is not quite as he left it. As he searches to find his purpose in the world, fate intervenes when Jaime unexpectedly finds himself in possession of an ancient relic of alien biotechnology: the Scarab. When the Scarab suddenly chooses Jaime to be its symbiotic host, he is bestowed with an incredible suit of armor capable of extraordinary and unpredictable powers, forever changing his destiny as he becomes the Super Hero BLUE BEETLE.
Starring alongside Maridueña (“Cobra Kai”) are Adriana Barraza (“Rambo: Last Blood,” “Thor”), Damían Alcázar (“Narcos,” “Narcos: Mexico”), Elpidia Carrillo (“Mayans M.C.,” the “Predator” films), Bruna Marquezine (“Maldivas,” “God Save the King”), Raoul Max Trujillo (the “Sicario” films, “Mayans M.C.”), with Oscar winner Susan Sarandon (“Monarch,” “Dead Man Walking”), and George Lopez (the “Rio and “Smurf” franchises). The film also stars Belissa Escobedo (“American Horror Stories,” “Hocus Pocus 2”) and Harvey Guillén (“What We Do in the Shadows”).
Soto (“Charm City Kings,” “The Farm”) directs from a screenplay by Gareth Dunnet-Alcocer (“Miss Bala”), based on characters from DC. John Rickard and Zev Foreman are producing, with Walter Hamada, Galen Vaisman and Garrett Grant serving as executive producers.