Blue Beetlewon’t be hitting theaters until summer 2023, but unlike the superhero and some of his insect counterparts, time does fly, which is why theDCEUmovie is rounding off Jaime Reyes' family with a casting announcement that features comedian George Lopez at the top of the list.
Contrary toThe Batmanor some of the other superheroes in theDCEUpipeline, such asAquamanandThe Flash,Blue Beetleis a relatively unknown comic book, which is why the film starringCobra Kaiprotagonist Xolo Maridueña has attracted a different kind of attention. Of course, one of the leading factors in play for that is the novelty thatBlue Beetlewill be the first live-action adaptation of any Latinx superhero, something director Angel Manuel Soto has highlighted as defining element for the movie.
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With that in mind, the new faces joiningBlue Beetleinclude some impressive Latino talent like Academy Award nominee Adriana Barraza (Babel), highly-decorated Mexican actor Damián Alcázar (Narcos), Elpidia Carrillo (Predator), and the aforementioned Lopez. Per The Wrap, all four additions will be part of the Reyes family, with Barraza playing Nana, Alcázar as Alberto, Carrillo as Rocío, and Lopez stepping in as Uncle Rudy. The new cast members join young Mexican Americans Belissa Escobedo, Harvey Guillen and Maridueña, of course.
Out of the last two supporting cast members, only Escobedo’s part has been confirmed to be that of Jaime Reyes' sister Milagros. Guillen’s role remains a mystery, though it could still potentially be that ofaBlue Beetlevillain. The only other confirmed cast member is Brazilian actor Bruna Marquezine, who is set to play Penny, Jaime’s love interest in the movie.
Faithfulness to the character’s diverse background is one of the things fans can expect fromBlue Beetle, as well as the almost guaranteed chance to see a full origin story for a character who is way closer toPeacemakerthanSupermanin the DC popularity tier list. Rest assured, there area lot of greatBlue Beetlecomic booksto go through to fully dive into Jaime Reyes' story, especially those published after 2006 when the character underwent a big retcon.
In terms of representation, Jaime Reyesis only preceded by Miles Morales’Into the Spider-Verseand its upcoming sequel as the sole two Latino superheroes in modern film culture.Maridueña has already suited up as Blue Beetle, and judging from hisCobra Kaitraining, he should be more than up to the task.
Blue Beetlewill be released exclusively in theaters on June 24, 2025.
