Earlier this year, Warner Bros. Discovery decided to scrap Batgirl despite the movie being very close to completion. Rather than sticking with plans to release the DC Comics adaptation on HBO Max or even allowing it to play in theaters, the studio chose to dismiss it as a tax write-off.
It was a decision that sent shockwaves through Hollywood, leaving filmmakers uncertain whether they could still trust Warner Bros. The studio's CEO, David Zaslav, has pulled the plug on J.J. Abrams' Justice League Dark plans (including Constantine and Madame X) and Wonder Twins, and there's been speculation that Blue Beetle might be next.
During a recent interview with NPR, Blue Beetle director Angel Manuel Soto opened up on how he responded to the Batgirl news. "I'm not going to lie. There was concern, anger, fear at first," he admits. "They told me not to worry, the film has their full support."
Only time will tell whether the movie is truly safe, but the filmmaker would go on to share a few extra details about what fans can expect from the 2023 release. "He's kind of like a fusion of Green Lantern and Iron Man," Soto teases. "He has a scarab from outer space that is attached to his body called Khaji da."
Gareth Dunnet Alcocer, who penned the screenplay, also explained how Blue Beetle will tackle Jaime Reyes' dynamic with his family. "What would my mom do if an alien technology burrowed into my spine? She would not think it's cool. And for the Reyes family, this is terrible. 'We're going to get attention from American institutions, from the government, from military, from the police.'"
The original plan had been for the movie to also head straight to HBO Max, though it was later upgraded to being a big screen title. That's a promising sign, and we hope this means it will keep the potential blockbuster safe in a year that looks set to be one of the busiest for the DCEU yet.
Blue Beetle is set to be released in theaters on August 18, 2023.