DC Casts Horacio García Rojas As The First Latino Batman In 'Batman: Azteca'
Image Source: Entre Séries
Horacio García Rojas, best known for his previous work in Narcos: Mexico (2018) and Texas Rising (2015), was cast as Batman for DC’s upcoming animation Batman Azteca: Choque De Imperios. The news was confirmed this week as the movie goes into its filming stage. Batman Azteca joins a rich slate of movies in the DCAU, continuing its tradition of producing good content for HBO Max.
The movie will tell the story of a young Aztec boy called Yohualli Coatl, who shares the same tragic tale as Bruce Wayne. Coatl loses his parents to a Spanish Conquistador and proceeds to try warning king Moctezuma of the invaders. Along the way, he starts training in the temple of the Bat God Tzinacan with a figure similar to Alfred in Acatzin. This adds an interesting twist to the original Batman origin. By mixing in aspects from the history of Mesoamerica and the Spanish invasion in the 15th century, DC highlights one important element. Not only Batman’s story is followed, but it could also be adapted to different realities. CBR mentions that the production team brought in consultants from the Universidad Nacional Autonoma de Mexico. Alejandro Diaz Barriga, a professor of Ethnic history, was sent as the university’s representative to help with the historical setting and the ethnic issues. This is important because it shows other peoples of the world that they can see their culture represented in the mainstream media. Rojas, in a tweet, said that
“I love fantasy, I love comics, and I love our history that is also present, I love thinking in new narratives and different worlds. My voice will be vengeance. Dreams come true.”
Rojas (Coatl/Batman Azteca) is joined by fellow Latin-American actors Álvaro Morte (conquistador Hernán Cortes/Two-Face), and Omar Chaparro (Yoka/Joker). The director for the series, according to CBR, will be Juan Meza-León, who directed episodes for both the Harley Quinn animated series and Rick and Morty, both WB properties. There is no release date, but it will likely be in 2023.
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