Blue Beetle was supposed to be one of the lower-budgeted DC movies made exclusively for HBO Max, joining Batgirl and planned features for characters like Black Canary and Zatanna. Warner Bros. being acquired by Discovery changed everything, though, and it will now be a theatrical release.
Early buzz on the project is positive, with fans excited to finally see Jaime Reyes take centre stage. We still don't know how Ted Kord will factor into the story (or if there are even plans for any sort of physical appearance), but with Susan Sarandon cast as the villainous Victoria Kord, we're pretty sure there are indeed plans for the original Blue Beetle in the DCU.
We'll get to that in a moment, but a new rumour from DanielRPK (via CBR) points to the movie taking inspiration from hit animated series Young Justice.
It's said that Jaime's Scarab will have a voice that we hear, with the hero arguing with it throughout the movie. We don't know who voices the Scarab right now, though Young Justice saw voice actor Eric Lopez lend his talents to both Blue Beetle and his suit. Whether Xolo Maridueña will also pull double duty is hard to say, though it would make sense.
One popular theory online is that Harvey Guillén might have been enlisted as the Scarab as he's currently the only confirmed cast member whose role hasn't been revealed.
Oh, and going back to Ted, it's pointed out that he's alive but missing. It doesn't sound like we find out where he is by the time this movie ends, though we can't believe Blue Beetle won't tease future plans for him in some way (we're keeping our fingers crossed Zach Braff shows up as the hero).
Joining Maridueña, Sarandon, and Guillén in the movie are Bruna Marquezine, Belissa Escobedo, George Lopez, Adriana Barraza, Elpidia Carrillo, Damián Alcázar, and Raoul Max Trujillo.
Blue Beetle is set to be released in theaters on August 18, 2023.