‘Cobra Kai’ Star Xolo Mariduena In Talks To Star As Jaime Reyes In ‘Blue Beetle!’
Xolo Mariduena, one of the stars of the popular Karate Kid spin-off Netflix series, Cobra Kai, is currently in talks to portray the title superhero of Blue Beetle for the upcoming HBO MAX/Warner Bros./DC Films movie of the same name. According to exclusive information courtesy of The Wrap, this will be the first Latino superhero film project. Angel Manuel Soto of Charm City Kings fame will direct the film. In addition, the screenplay is being written by Mexican-born writer Gareth Dunnet-Alcocer, who wrote Universal’s upcoming Scarface remake, and Sony’s Miss Bala.
Within DC Comics lore, Blue Beetle is the superhero alter ego used by three different heroes, but this particular project will focus on Jaime Reyes, a Mexican-American teenager and the third character to assume the mantle. Since the birth of the DCEU(Detective Comics Extended Universe) for film and television back in 2013, there were several Latin American superheroes that were introduced to the franchise such as Jay Hernandez as El Diablo in Suicide Squad, Rosie Perez as Renee Montoya in Birds of Prey and Sasha Calle to play Supergirl in the upcoming 2022 film The Flash but in supporting roles. Mariduena will be the first Latino lead for a superhero film. Leslie Grace, the Dominican-American breakout star of the critically acclaimed musical film In the Heights was recently cast in the role of Batgirl/Barbara Gordon in the upcoming 2022 film of the same name for the HBO Max. This makes Grace the first Latina lead for a superhero film.
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More information about the Blue Beetle from The Wrap:
"Blue Beetle was created by Charles Wojtkowski for Fox Comics in 1939 as the alter ego of Dan Garrett, a police officer who uses experimental vitamins to develop super powers. After Fox went out of business in the 1950s, Charlton Comics obtained rights to Blue Beetle and reimagined Garrett as an archaeologist who receives his powers from ancient Egyptian technology. In 1966 Charlton introduced the character Ted Kord, an athlete and inventor created by legendary comics writer Steve Ditko, as a new version of the hero.
Charlton went out of business in the early 1980s and its characters were bought by DC Comics, which introduced them into the mainstream DC Universe after the 'Crisis on Infinite Earths' crossover event. Ted Kord remained as Blue Beetle during the transition and notably served as Alan Moore’s inspiration for the character Nite Owl in 'Watchmen.'
Created by Keith Giffen, John Rogers, and Cully Hamner in 2006, Jaime Reyes was introduced during the 'Infinite Crisis’ crossover event ahead the launch of a new 'Blue Beetle' in May 2006. In contrast to Kord and Garrett, Reyes is a working class El Paso teenager devoted to his family and with no connections to superheroes prior to receiving his powers.
Jaime Reyes discovered the Blue Beetle scarab on the way home from school with two of his best friends Paco and Brenda, half-buried in a disused lot. Reyes took the scarab home, curious as to what it might be. That night, the scarab came alive, and grafted itself to the base of Jaime’s spine, and provided him with a suit of extraterrestrial armor which can be modified to enhance his speed and strength, as well as to create weapons, wings and shields."
Principal photography for Blue Beetle will begin in early 2022.
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Source: The Wrap