Everything we know about Blue Beetle: Release date, plot, cast & more

Amidst all the upheaval at the DC camp following James Gunn and Peter Safran’s arrival as new overlords of everything DC media, a handful of new movies originally envisioned as part of the previous DC Extended Universe (DCEU) continuity are releasing this year. The second Shazam! installment is already out of the way, and The Flash just dropped, but what should we expect from Blue Beetle? We’ve put together everything we know about Blue Beetle so far.

The original plan was to release Blue Beetle on HBO Max, but with Discovery taking over Warner and its properties, the focus is back on theatrical releases. Plus, the positive internal buzz has put Jaime Reyes’ big live-action debut in line to take over cinemas this August.

Guardians of the Galaxy and The Suicide Squad writer-director James Gunn is taking over the creative side of audiovisual DC projects moving forward, creating DC Studios and establishing a new plan for the IPs across movies, T.V., and even video games. The first “chapter” of this new age for DC movies and shows is called ‘Gods and Monsters’ and is set to begin in 2025 with a fresh new take on Superman helmed by Gunn himself. Gunn has confirmed that Blue Beetle is the first DCU character in the new universe.

Some character iterations from the old DCEU will survive this reboot, while others had to change in order to work with the new narrative. Ongoing “elseworld” stories such as The Batman sequels and planned HBO Max spinoffs, or Joker: Folie à Deux, remain untouched.

Before we dive deep into Blue Beetle’s history and what we know about his movie, we suggest checking out our list of the DC Extended Universe movies ranked, worst to best. Or, if you’re more of a Marvel fan then we also have a massive list of all the Marvel movies in order. What about video games? We also have plenty of recommendations in our best Marvel games and best DC games of all time ranked lists.

Blue Beetle release date

• Showing from August 16, 2023
• U.S. and U.K. need to wait until August 18, 2023

Blue Beetle is scheduled to be released exclusively in theaters worldwide starting on August 16, 2023. The U.S. and U.K. release date is currently locked for August 18, 2023.

Surprisingly, this DC project hasn’t had its date bouncing around all over the place despite all the behind-the-scenes reshuffling. In fact, it’s reportedly had the smoothest production and post-production process in recent memory for a live-action DC project.

How to watch Blue Beetle

As we mentioned in the intro, the original plan was to launch Blue Beetle on HBO Max (now just Max), but with Discovery taking over Warner and its properties, the company has shifted its focus is back on theatrical releases. That means to start with, the only place you'll be able to watch it is in cinemas.

It seems almost locked on that Blue Beetle will be available to watch on Max later this year though.

What is the plot of Blue Beetle?

Blue Beetle kicks off when Jaime Reyes (Xolo Maridueña) returns to his hometown of Palmera City after graduating from college. However, his home is not quite as he left it. As he looks for a path forward in the world and adult life, he comes across a strange ancient relic of alien origin called the Scarab.

The Scarab chooses Jaime to be its symbiotic host, covering him with a high-tech suit of armor capable of incredible (and unpredictable) powers, such as creating weapons. But, of course, nefarious forces are hellbent on acquiring the Scarab. Enter Victoria Kord (Susan Sarandon) and her goons.

According to director Angel Manuel Soto, the script features “the Latino family at its core,” something which hasn’t been explored yet on the big screen under the lens of the superhero genre. Blue Beetle is the first superhero movie with a Latino character at the forefront, and Jaime’s closest relatives also have huge parts to play in the story.

The Blue Beetle character has evolved quite a bit over the decades. The original one was Dan Garret, who gained superpowers from a special vitamin and later a “sacred scarab.” The second Blue Beetle was Ted Kord, who jumped to the main DC Comics universe during Crisis on Infinite Earths and used science to power himself up. Finally, the Beetle actually created by DC Comics is Jaime Reyes, who gets his powers from the Scarab presented in this movie.

Blue Beetle trailers

Only one Blue Beetle trailer has hit the Internet so far, but it was a meaty one which fully introduced fans and casual audiences to Jaime Reyes’ life, his family, and the threats he’ll have to face. You can watch it below:

Blue Beetle cast

Xolo Maridueña (Parenthood) leads the cast as Jaime Reyes aka Blue Beetle, and is joined by Adriana Barraza (Rambo: Last Blood), Damián Alcázar (The Mighty Victoria), Elpidia Carrillo (Guillermo del Toro’s Cabinet of Curiosities), Bruna Marquezine (Breaking Through), Raoul Max Trujillo (Sicario: Day of the Soldado), Susan Sarandon (Thelma & Louise), and George Lopez (The Tax Collector).

It's currently unknown whether other major DC players have cameos in the movie, but it appears Blue Beetle will be incorporated easily into the new DC Studios continuity as it has little to no ties to the larger universe.

Blue Beetle director, writer, & crew

As we’ve mentioned before, Blue Beetle’s journey to the big screen has barely come across any creative bumps nor logistical setbacks, which is a rare occurrence for big comic book projects nowadays.

Gareth Dunnet-Alcocer (Miss Bala) started writing the script before 2018 ended, back when Walter Hamada was still the president of DC Films (a label which doesn’t exist anymore). In early 2021, Angel Manuel Soto (Charm City Kings) joined the project as director, and filming took place over the summer of 2022.

The cinematography has been handled by Pawel Pogorzelski, who recently made some waves with Ari Aster’s Midsommar and Beau Is Afraid. The original soundtrack comes from composer, musician, and artist Bobby Krlic, also coming in hot from Midsommar and Beau Is Afraid.