DC and Warner Bros. Are Working on a ‘Blue Beetle’ Film

Warner Bros. and DC Films are gearing up their first superhero movie starring a Latino character, announcing that Angel Manuel Soto is set to direct Blue Beetle. 

The film will focus on Jaime Reyes, who in the comics is the third person to have taken on the Blue Beetle moniker. 

Blue Beetle was originally created by Charles Wojtkowski in 1939, with Reyes only having been introduced to the comics in 2006. Reyes is a working class teenager in El Paso who discovers an ancient Egyptian scarab that grants him powers and a suit of extraterrestrial armor. 

Angel Manuel Soto is riding high on the success of his 2020 film Charm City Kings, which premiered to positive reviews at the 2020 Sundance Film Festival. Initially set to be released in theaters last April by Sony Pictures Classics, the film was bought by HBO Max when COVID delayed the release, and was eventually placed on the streaming service in October. 

The screenplay for the film has been written by Gareth Dunnet-Alcocer, who wrote the 2019 Miss Bala remake, along with the Scarface remake that’s been in production for years and remains in limbo. 

In a statement to The Wrap, who first reported the news, Soto said, “It is an honor to direct Blue Beetle, the first Latino superhero film for DC. I want to sincerely thank everyone at Warner Bros. and DC for trusting me to bring Jaime Reyes to life. I can’t wait to make history together.”

The film aims to begin production in the fall.