Blue Beetle director Angel Manuel Soto recently revealed that there was “not much” input from DC Studios co-CEOs James Gunn and Peter Safran on the upcoming DC superhero film.
“The studio always, generally, has their hands on it. As far as the essence of the story, [James Gunn and Peter Safran] liked what we were doing and they respected the vision and what we were trying to do with the film,” explained Soto during an interview with GamesRadar+.
The director added, “They really did appreciate the fresh take, the nostalgic factor of how we start the film by taking the audience to see the family and fall in love with them for a prologue-of-sorts.”
DC leadership changed while Blue Beetle was in post-production
Blue Beetle was greenlit under the old DC Films regime back in 2018. The film — which is the penultimate installment in the DC Extended Universe — was originally developed as an HBO Max exclusive but was shifted to a theatrical release in December 2021. Filming wrapped on Blue Beetle in July 2022. However, Gunn and Safran — who have headed DC Studios since November 2022 — did approve the two days of reshoots for Blue Beetle in February 2023.
Xolo Maridueña leads Blue Beetle as its title character, Jaime Reyes, who “unexpectedly finds himself in possession of an ancient relic of alien biotechnology: the Scarab.” The synopsis continues, “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 superhero Blue Beetle.”
The ensemble cast also includes Bruna Marquezine as Jenny, George Lopez as Rudy, Adriana Barraza as Nana, Belissa Escobedo as Milagros Reyes, Elpidia Carrillo as Rocio, Damián Alcázar as Alberto, Raoul Trujillo as Carapax the Indestructible Man, and Harvey Guillén as Dr. Sanchez, with Becky G as the voice of the alien Scarab, Khaji-Da, and Susan Sarandon as the film’s main villain, Victoria Kord.
Blue Beetle opens in theaters on August 18, 2023.
