Blue Beetle Star Xolo Maridueña Is Eager to Wear the Costume for the First Time
We're on the cusp of finally seeing Jaime Reyes / Blue Beetle on the big screen, with a Blue Beetle film currently scheduled to be released in August of 2023. The live-action adventure will star Xolo Maridueña as the titular DC hero, and after concept art for the project was unveiled during last year's DC FanDome virtual convention, fans are incredibly excited to see the final product. In a recent interview with Teen Vogue, Maridueña teased his work on the film, which apparently won't start production for a few more months, and teased how excited he is to wear the costume for the first time.
"All I can think about is how exciting it's going to be," Maridueña explained. "It's going to touch on a lot of things that haven't been touched on before in superhero movies.... I haven't had the chance to put on the suit yet or anything like that. Once it happens, it'll feel real."
The Blue Beetle film will follow Jaime, who in the comics is the third character to take on the role of Blue Beetle following the death of Ted Kord. The cast will also include Bruna Marquezine as Penny, Belissa Escobedo as Jaime's younger sister, Milagros Reyes, and Harvey Guillen in a currently-unknown role.
Created by Keith Giffen, John Rogers, and Cully Hammer, Jaime's tenure significantly changed the Blue Beetle lore, revealing that the Egyptian scarab that gives the hero powers is actually alien in origin, and provided a sort of extraterrestrial suit of armor. Eventually, Jaime would go on to serve as a member of the Justice League, Justice League International, Teen Titans, Young Justice, and Secret Six. This will be the second time that the character appeared in live-action, as he previously was portrayed by Jaren Brandt Bartlett on Smallville. The character has appeared multiple times across animation, including Batman: The Brave and the Bold, Young Justice: Invasion, DC Super Hero Girls, and Justice League Action.
"This is really gonna be a stepping stone in my life," Maridueña shared in an interview earlier this year. "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."
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Blue Beetle is set to be released in theaters on August 18, 2023.