Blue Beetle Director Wanted to Channel David Cronenberg in New DC Movie

Blue Beetle director Angel Manuel Soto talks about wanting to make a "Cronenberg for kids."

By Jamie Jirak

Blue Beetle is hitting theaters this month, and James Gunn has confirmed the character will be a part of the new DCU but is also  "totally disconnected" from any other DC-related property. Due to the current SAG-AFTRA strike, the cast of the movie is unable to promote the film, but director Angel Manuel Soto has been sharing a lot of interesting information about his new project. During a recent interview with Variety, Soto spoke about his influences and revealed he wanted to channel David Cronenberg, who is best known for helming films such as The Fly, Videodrome, and A History of Violence. 

"How can we do [David] Cronenberg for kids?" Soto recalled wondering. "I wanted the energy to be fun but also tell the story about the movies that made me love movies." According to Variety, Blue Beetle features nods to iconic films such as Mission: Impossible and Indiana Jones, and "utilizes this nostalgic energy to portray the first superhero that does not want his superpowers." 

Who Plays Blue Beetle?

Blue Beetle will see Xolo Maridueña taking on the role of Jaime Reyes, the comics hero who becomes fused to an alien scarab and gains superpowers. 

"It's such a new world and this is my first movie, my first venture into being on the silver screen," Maridueña explained in a previous interview with Comicbook.com. "And so getting to be a part of it all, I just want to be a sponge. I just want to learn as much as possible and have fun. It felt like there was so much anticipation and so much preparation going into the project that by the first day I was like, 'Dude.' It wasn't like the first day we started, we hit the ground running and it was a great time."

What Is Blue Beetle About?

From Warner Bros. Pictures comes Blue Beetle, which arrives in theaters on August 18th, marking the DC superhero's first time on the big screen. The film, directed by Angel Manuel Soto, stars Xolo Maridueña in the title role as well as his alter ego, Jaime Reyes. 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 Super Hero BLUE BEETLE.

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Starring alongside Maridueña are Adriana Barraza, Damían Alcázar, Elpidia Carrillo, Bruna Marquezine, Raoul Max Trujillo, with Oscar winner Susan Sarandon, and George Lopez (the "Rio and "Smurf" franchises). The film also stars Belissa Escobedo and Harvey Guillén. Soto directs from a screenplay by Gareth Dunnet-Alcocer, based on characters from DC. John Rickard and Zev Foreman are producing, with Walter Hamada, Galen Vaisman, and Garrett Grant serving as executive producers.

Are you excited about Blue Beetle? What are you hoping to see in the new DC film? Tell us in the comments! 

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