Blue Beetle Casts Susan Sarandon In Villain Role
Despite reports two weeks ago that actress Sharon Stone was in talks to play the role of the villain in DC's Blue Beetle movie, TheWrap brings word that Academy Award winner Susan Sarandon has been tapped for the part of Victoria Kord instead. It's unclear why talks with Stone fell through but Sarandon has officially closed a deal to appear in the film according to the trade. Though the Victoria Kord name certainly has DC fans raising their eyebrows about the potential for a Ted Kord appearance (Kord being the second Blue Beetle prior to Jaime Reyes), the character is an original creation for the film and not found in the pages of DC Comics.
Sarandon joins a cast that includes Cobra Kai star Xolo Maridueña as Jaime Reyes / Blue Beetle alongside Bruna Marquezine as Penny, Belissa Escobedo, George Lopez, Adriana Barraza, Elpidia Carillo, and Damián Alcázar as members of Jaime's family, and Harvey Guillen in a currently-unknown role. , Mayans MC star Raoul Max Trujillo was previously announced to have joined the cast as as Carapax the Indestructable Man, a foe of the original Blue Beetle, Dan Garrett. It's likely that Trujillo and Sarandon's characters will be working together in the new movie.
"This is really gonna be a stepping stone in my life," Maridueña shared in an interview earlier this year about the film. "I've gotten the chance to build chemistry with these people over the years on Cobra Kai. To try to recreate that chemistry in a much shorter amount of time is gonna be difficult, but all of these guys are professionals. I know that I'm in the hands of people who are the best at what they do. The opportunity at Cobra Kai has really blessed me; I can do stunts, we can do crazy stuff. Adding this new level of green screen and suits and CGI and all of this will add a whole new crazy level to it that I'm so excited for."
Directed by Angel Manuel Sota from a script by Gareth Dunnet-Alcoce, a first look at concept art for the movie previously teased what the iconic character's suit will look like on the big screen. Previously set to be an HBO Max exclusive, DC's Blue Beetle is currently set to arrive in theaters on August 18, 2023.
(Susan Sarandon cover photo by Jamie McCarthy/Getty Images for Christian Siriano)