DC comics’ life in theaters has been a wild one over the last few years, and the DCEU has plenty of ups and downs. But that shared universe is going to be in the past soon, since new co-CEOs James Gunn and Peter Safran are creating a new franchise. But a handful of characters are still being included in the new DCU, including Xolo Maridueña as Blue Beetle. And the Cobra Kai actor recently revealed how Gunn let him know he was staying with DC, despite this major shakeup.
A number of upcoming DC movies were in the can when Gunn and Safran took the reins, including the Blue Beetle flick. Originally intended for a release on Max, it was given the full theatrical treatment and hit theaters back in August. Maridueña is one of the only actors who will reprise their role in the new DCU, even if it’s presumably a different timeline. He spoke to ComicBook about how he got this news, sharing:
I mean, it was like, luckily I had spoken with him prior to that tweet. So, it was… We were in post production. You know, in the offices next to each other. So, it was like, if it was gonna be anything otherwise, I would have found out before.
There you have it. It looks like Xolo Maridueña knew he was returning to the DCU when Blue Beetle was still in its post-production phase. So while fans and even other actors wondered about the fate of other DC heroes, he was able to rest easy knowing his journey as Jaime Reyes had only just begun.
Maridueña will be reprising his role in the new DCU, as will John Cena’s Peacemaker and Viola Davis’ Amanda Waller. But how they’ll be used remains a mystery for the time being. Later in that same interview, the 22 year-old actor spoke about he feels about his ongoing role, offering:
But, like in a word… again, validating to know that [Walter] Hamada and the Warner Bros. DC team that brought me on and believed in me. In the beginning, it was them who handed it off to Gunn and to Peter [Safran], who also felt the same way? Like, that feels so good. And, where it goes in the future? We’ll see.
Exactly what’s coming next for Blue Beetle remains unclear, especially if he’s actually going to be a different version of that character. The Blue Beetle end credits scene teased the future, but we may be in a different timeline entirely.
In the end the Blue Beetle struggled to perform at the box office, but luckily Maridueña will get the chance to play that titular DC hero again. The movie’s box office struggles aren’t necessarily about that movie, but continues in a downward trend for the DCEU since the announcement it was going to be replaced. After all, why invest time and money in a movie that’s ultimately not going to factor into future installments? Luckily, Blue Beetle recently became available to stream with a Max subscription.
Blue Beetle is streaming now on Max, and the next (and final) DCEU movie hitting theaters is Aquaman 2 on December 20th. In the meantime, check out the 2024 movie release dates to plan your next movie experience.