Blue Beetle's New Home, Palmera City, Explained
When Blue Beetle comes to theaters later this year, the hero will not be based in El Paso, as he is in the comics. Instead, Jaime Reyes will be located in Palmera City, a new locale created for the movie. It's kind of a reversal of what they did in Shazam!, where Fawcett City (Billy's most recent and frequently-used home in DC Comics) was replaced by Philadelphia, a real-world city that grounded the action a little. The trailer, which dropped this morning, opens with an "I love Palmera City" sign, and the locale gets name-dropped a few more times along the way.
Further establishing that the movie takes place in the DC Universe rather than the real world, Jaime is handed the Blue Beetle Scarab inside of a box from Big Belly Burger. ComicBook.com attented the Blue Beelte trailer event which featured a press Q&A with director Angel Manuel Soto and star Xolo Maridueña, where they talked about the decision.
"To bring Palmera City to the screen is fantastic in its own regard because Jaime, as we were discussing, Blue Beetle, the vision was to have Blue Beetle be on the same level as someone like a Superman or a Batman who have Gotham or Metropolis or cities that are the beating hearts of the themes of the comics, and to create a world for Jaime and to create a world where he feels he fits was really such a humbling and honoring experience as well," Xolo Maridueña said.
Angel Manuel Soto added, "We introduced Palmera City as trying to put Jaime in a city that kind of like the same thing like Xolo said. Superman has Metropolis, Central City for the Flash, Gotham. Why doesn't he have his own city? He's f*cking dope. And that doesn't mean that El Paso is not dope. El Paso is awesome, and El Paso is very much present in the life of the family. But in service of positioning Blue Beetle as a potential leader in the DCU, Palmera City came to life, and thanks to Palmera City as well and the bigger world-building around it is what got us the theatrical."
You can see the film's official synopsis below.
From Warner Bros. Pictures comes the feature film Blue Beetle, marking the DC Super Hero'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.
Starring alongside Maridueña ("Cobra Kai") are Adriana Barraza ("Rambo: Last Blood," "Thor") as Jaime's grandmother, Nana, Damían Alcázar ("Narcos," "Narcos: Mexico") as his father, Elpidia Carrillo ("Mayans M.C.," the "Predator" films) as his mother, Bruna Marquezine ("Maldivas," "God Save the King") as Jenny Kord, Raoul Max Trujillo (the "Sicario" films, "Mayans M.C.") as Carapax, with Oscar winner Susan Sarandon ("Monarch," "Dead Man Walking") as Victoria Kord, and George Lopez (the "Rio and "Smurf" franchises) as Jaime's Uncle Rudy. The film also stars Belissa Escobedo ("American Horror Stories," "Hocus Pocus 2") as Jaime's sister, Milagro, and Harvey Guillén ("What We Do in the Shadows") as Dr. Sanchez.
Soto ("Charm City Kings," "The Farm") directs from a screenplay by Gareth Dunnet-Alcocer ("Miss Bala"), based on characters from DC. John Rickard and Zev Foreman are producing, with Walter Hamada, Galen Vaisman and Garrett Grant serving as executive producers.
The director's creative team behind the scenes includes director of photography Pawel Pogorzelski ("Midsommar," "Hereditary"), production designer John Billington ("Bad Boys for Life"), editor Craig Alpert ("Deadpool 2," "The Lost City"), Oscar-nominated costume designer Mayes C. Rubeo ("Jojo Rabbit," the "Thor" films), visual effects supervisor Kelvin McIlwain ("The Suicide Squad," "Aquaman") and composer Bobby Krlic ("Midsommar," the "Snowpiercer" series).
A Warner Bros. Pictures Presentation, a Safran Company Production, Blue Beetle soars into theaters only internationally beginning August 2023 and in North America August 18, 2023. It will be distributed worldwide by Warner Bros. Pictures.