Blue Beetle arrives in theaters this weekend, and while the consensus appears to be that it looks like a big improvement over the rest of 2023's DCEU offerings, excitement still appears to be relatively muted.
At least some of that can be blamed on the SAG-AFTRA strike stopping the cast from promoting the DC Comics adaptation at premieres, junkets, and during late-night talk show appearances. However, the uncertainty surrounding how and when the DCEU will become the DCU is another contributing factor.
DC Studios co-CEO James Gunn has previously said Xolo Maridueña's Jaime Reyes will be part of the new DCU, despite this movie not being set in that world. During an appearance at Blue Beetle's low-key premiere yesterday, the filmmaker reiterated those comments.
"I can’t wait for audiences to meet Jaime Reyes, who will be an amazing part of the DCU going forward!" he exclaims in the Instagram post below.
Are we buying it?
As a means of hyping up The Flash, Gunn promised it would "reset" the DCEU and described it as the "greatest superhero movie ever made," two statements which proved to be factually incorrect. If Blue Beetle bombs, should we really expect to see the hero in the DCU?
We'll have to wait and see, but you can check out Gunn's comments in full below.
In Blue Beetle, 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 superhero known as Blue Beetle.
The movie stars Xolo Maridueña, Adriana Barraza, Damían Alcázar, Elpidia Carrillo, Bruna Marquezine, Raoul Max Trujillo, Belissa Escobedo, Harvey Guillén, with Susan Sarandon, and George Lopez. Angel Manuel Soto directs from a screenplay by Gareth Dunnet-Alcocer.
Blue Beetle arrives in theaters on August 18.