Warner Bros. Delaying Long-Awaited DC Movie?
Fans are worried that Blue Beetle may be delayed because of lack of promotion at recent Comic Con events.
DC Comics and the DC Extended Universe is sure to be seeing some changes in the not-so-distant future, as director James Gunn has signed on to a co-CEO role at DC Studios. With a set of films like Black Adam that have not driven moviegoers to the theaters as expected, Gunn has his work cut out for him. One upcoming film in particular, Blue Beetle, has had a striking lack of promotion at recent Comic Cons, and ComicBook.com reports that the movie is still on track to be released by Warner Bros. Discovery on August 18, 2023.
Fans of the DC Comics version of Blue Beetle have noticed Warner Bros.’ intentional promotions of other films like The Flash and Shazam! Fury of the Gods at upcoming Comic Cons in India and Japan, even if other content like Blue Beetle has been left out in the cold. The Flash has had its fair share of controversy with star Ezra Miller’s criminal actions as of late, and the sequel Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom has been in the news due to Amber Heard’s court trials with ex-husband Johnny Depp.
However, all of these movies appear to be keeping their 2023 release dates for now, so fans of Blue Beetle should be hopeful that they will watch their favorite comic book series come to life onscreen. Blue Beetle has had its own journey from comic book to big screen, most notably due to Warner Bros. Discovery taking the film from streaming on HBO Max and instead setting a theatrical release.
One of the only products coming out of the DC Extended Universe to get a theatrical release, Warner Bros. chose to shelve other content like Batgirl rather than release it to theaters or streaming. With major disruptions coming from Warner Bros. Discovery getting rid of other titles on its platforms, Blue Beetle seemed to survive a lot of challenges to stay on target for a 2023 debut.
Directed by Angel Manuel Soto, Blue Beetle will feature the first superhero of a DC Comics film played by a Latino lead, 21-year-old Xolo Maridueña of Cobra Kai and Parenthood fame. The movie started filming earlier this year and will tell the story of Jaime Reyes, aka Blue Beetle, a teenager who is granted superpowers when he encounters an alien. The movie will feature an ensemble cast of actors, including Bruna Marquezine, comedian George Lopez, Adriana Barraza, Elpidia Carrillo, Damián Alcázar, and Susan Sarandon.
Blue Beetle will be a step in the right direction for diversity in a DC Extended Universe film, and fans are understandably excited to see the story come to the big screen. While not a lot of promotion has taken place yet for the movie, it doesn’t appear that Blue Beetle’s release date will change between now and August 2023. There are a lot of new projects underway at DC Comics and Warner Bros. Discovery, so fans will get to experience more of Zachary Levi, Dwayne Johnson, and Jason Momoa before they are introduced to Xolo Maridueña.
