When filmmaker Angel Manuel Soto received a call from Warner Bros. about potentially directing a DC comic book film, he was prepared to present a completely different idea. Soto, known for his work on Charm City Kings, recently revealed to Den of Geek magazine, “I wanted to pitch ideas, and one of them was the Bane origin story. I always thought that there was something interesting in exploring his reality and how a character like that comes to be… [but] the conversation was not about that.”
Instead, According to the director, the studio said, “There’s this character that we’ve been developing for a couple of years. The Blue Beetle, a Latino superhero.”
Soto’s desire to delve into the Bane story is not the first instance of interest in the character’s return to the big screen. In April 2021, Dave Bautista also expressed his wish to play Bane, even approaching Warner Bros. on the matter. In 2023, it came out that the campaign to play the character went as far as having official talks with director James Gunn, who is now overseeing the DC Universe at Warner Bros.
Initially unsure if Blue Beetle was the right project for him, Soto eventually embraced the opportunity by grounding the superhero story in reality. He aimed to explore the protagonist’s growth, family dynamics, and community impact, stating, “He’s not going to save the world yet; he doesn’t deserve to yet.”
Starring Xolo Maridueña as Jamie Reyes, a college graduate who gains superpowers through an alien Blue Beetle scarab, Blue Beetle features an ensemble cast including Adriana Barraza, Damián Alcázar, Raoul Max Trujillo, Susan Sarandon, and George Lopez.
Fans can catch Blue Beetle in theaters from August 18.
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