It seems at least one DCU project we believed to have been scrapped is moving forward after all.
In the buildup to Blue Beetle's release, DC Studios co-CEO James Gunn referred to Jaime Reyes (Xolo Maridueña) as the "first DCU character," essentially confirming that the hero would make the jump to the revamped DC film and TV universe.
This was before Blue Beetle went on to end its theatrical run as the lowest-grossing DCEU movie of all time, however. Nobody would have been too surprised if such a disappointing box office performance led to a course change, but Maridueña has always remained confident that he will still get the opportunity to don the Scarab armour again.
"I know we’ll see Blue Beetle again, whether it comes in the form of Blue Beetle 2 or wherever," said the Cobra Kai actor on the red carpet of the Saturn Awards. "It’s been really great to work alongside James [Gunn] and Peter [Safran], who have graciously folded us into their new universe even though it wasn’t part of what they came up with. It’s an honor. Now, where Blue Beetle heads in the future? I don’t know. But I can confidently say that we will see him soon."
Well, last month, the trades confirmed that Maridueña will reprise the role for Gunn's Man of Tomorrow.
Reyes' involvement further suggests that the Superman sequel really will be a team-based movie, with Supes assembling more than just the members of the Justice Gang to assist in the battle against Brainiac.
One report indicated that this development might spell the end of the Blue Beetle animated series we've been hearing about, but evidently not. Gunn has now confirmed that the project is still very much in development.
"Recent college grad Jaime Reyes (Xolo Mariduena) returns home full of aspirations for his future, only to find that home is not quite as he left it," reads the synopsis. "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 armour capable of extraordinary and unpredictable powers, forever changing his destiny as he becomes the Super Hero Blue Beetle."
The cast also includes Bruna Marquezine, Belissa Escobedo, Adriana Barraza, Elpidia Carrillo, Damián Alcázar, and Raoul Max Trujillo.