Blue Beetle's Director Shares Emotional Heart of the Movie

Blue Beetle's director just shared what the emotional heart of the movie is. MovieMaker wrote a big feature on Angel Manuel Soto's big superhero project. During the conversation, the theme of family love kept popping up. The numbers one thing powering Xolo Maridueña's performance as young Jaime Reyes is a relatable streak. You can't help but root for Blue Beetle. But, Soto argues that his family's love for the kid seeps into the audience as well. It's a tough act to juggle in a genre where spectacle can sometimes outweigh the emotional heart of the story. Soto and Maridueña both know it only works if people care about the characters.

"Without having superpowers, the family goes to every length to protect their kid," Soto shares. "The love of Jaime's family helps him finish his journey and his arc." Maridueña quickly adds, "Really, it is the love that you have for your family that trumps all."

The director would expand on this point later in the cover story. "Love is a heroic act, in its own way," explained Soto. "I love that I saw myself in all of the characters, but it's also what my family feels like," his star mused. "I think that really is a testament of Gareth Dunnet-Alcocer's writing."

Blue Beetle Prioritized Efficiency and Emotional Weight

It's no secret that Blue Beetle was originally conceived for HBO Max. Well, not it's up to the big screen. The love of community and a winning story are going to define the movie's success. But, the director comes from the world of smaller independent movies. So, not having that $200 million budget isn't going to sting. In fact, sometimes you have to be creative with what's available to you!

The interviewer complimented the ways Blue Beetle makes the most of their budget and it touched the director to hear that praise. "We gave everything to make something special and emotional that connects with audiences, and what you just shared is probably the best compliment I can get," he says. "Let's tell stories that help us heal. I could care less about anything else. You just reinforced the reason why I want to do this."

Blue Beetle Is Building Up To Something Big

With James Gunn at the controls for DC Films now, there's a new era of the DC Universe brewing. It feels like Blue Beetle is a part of these plans according to both the DC boss and the director. However, Soto has some very specific goals for Jaime Reyes if the movie can do well enough.

"Our first movie, the way we wanted to do it, was always with the mentality that we wanted to do two more, at least," Soto hopes. "And taking the traditional three-act structure of a story, we wanted our first movie to practically be the first act of a saga."

"We are part of the universe, we are part of the world, we are part of the plans that they have been creating for the future instalments of the DCU," Soto continued. "But we are not tied to all the films from the past. Yes, our movie lives in the world where superheroes exist. But that doesn't mean that a certain event, or certain alliance, or certain things from the past dictate where our film is going."

How do you think Blue Beetle will do? Let us know in the comments down below!