Warner Bros. has had a change of plans and is now sending the Blue Beetle film to theaters.
In the midst of announcing some schedule changes, Warner Bros. revealed that Blue Beetle will no longer be an HBO Max original film and will instead move to a theatrical release in Aug. 2023. Xolo Mariduena (Cobra Kai) will be starring as Jaime Reyes and Angel Manuel Soto is signed on to direct from a script by Gareth Dunnet-Alcocer.
The first two incarnations of Blue Beetle were crimefighters that relied on various gadgets. The second version was a Charlton Comics character that was eventually purchased by DC Comics and served as the inspiration for the Nite Owl character in the Watchmen series. The Reyes version differs significantly from those versions as he gains his powers from an alien scarab he bonded with that encases him in a suit of armor.
Reyes became a staple of the Young Justice series and has also appeared in other animated fares such as Batman: The Brave and the Bold, DC Super Hero Girls, and Justice League Action. He has also had one other brush with a live-action incarnation appearing in an episode of the tenth season of Smallville.
Blue Beetle will hit theaters on Aug. 18, 2023. This marks the second DC film set for a 2023 theatrical release with Shazam: Fury of the Gods scheduled for June 2.
