Blue Beetle: WB Reportedly Turned Down Two Days of Reshoots

Following word that Warner Bros. sunk money into three rounds of additional photography on Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom, it's being reported that the studio squashed Blue Beetle reshoots. The DC movie, which introduces comic book fan-favorite Jaime Reyes (Xolo Maridueña) in his feature film debut, was developed under then DC Films President Walter Hamada for release on the streaming service formerly known as HBO Max. But in December 2021, Warner Bros. shifted Blue Beetle to a theatrical release on August 18th, 2023 — a date it kept through Discovery, Inc.'s merger with the previously AT&T-owned WarnerMedia to form Warner Bros. Discovery last April.

While it's standard practice for productions to schedule reshoots as part of the filmmaking process, the filmmakers behind Blue Beetle requested two days of additional shooting in February — an ask that Warner Bros. rejected, according to The Hollywood Reporter. The movie wrapped principal photography last July after a 54-day shoot and a reported budget of $120 million.

"To some, the fact that Warners is willing to keep spending money to make the film better shows that the studio has faith in The Lost Kingdom," the outlet notes of director James Wan and star Jason Momoa's $200 million-plus Aquaman sequel, suggesting Warner Bros. has less faith in Blue Beetle. (According to the pre-release film tracking firm The Quorum, which tracks film awareness and interest, Blue Beetle is projected for an insect-sized opening weekend between $10 million-$13 million; for Strays, the R-rated talking dog comedy opening on the same day, The Quorum is forecasting an opening weekend of $16 million-$19 million.)

James Gunn, who serves as co-chairman and CEO of DC Studios with Blue Beetle and Aquaman producer Peter Safran, weighed in on a recent cut of Aquaman 2 and the studio approved a five-day shoot in New Zealand in mid-June. Gunn had "notes here and there story-wise" on Blue Beetle, according to Maridueña in a recent interview, but otherwise enthusiastically signed off on the family-focused superhero origin story.

"I think, in capturing the essence of Jaime and the Reyes family, [they] think we did a really great job," Maridueña said. Gunn has also confirmed the Jaime Reyes Blue Beetle would "continue on" in the rebooted DC Universe, but noted that "DC Studios movies (and canon) start with [Superman] Legacy," which is slated to release in theaters on July 11th, 2025.

Starring Maridueña, Adriana Barraza, Damían Alcázar, Elpidia Carrillo, Bruna Marquezine, Raoul Max Trujillo, Belissa Escobedo, Harvey Guillén, with Oscar winner Susan Sarandon and George Lopez, DC's Blue Beetle opens August 18th only in theaters.