After I bought the Warner Bros. Discovery ax had avoided, blue beetle is now looking for one of the most unique superhero movies to come out of the DCEU or MCU as much of the movie will be in Spanish with subtitles. That was already known blue beetle would provide a lot of representation for Latin stars, including: Cobra Kai‘s Xolo Maridueña in the title role, but according to co-star Susan Sarandon the highly anticipated film will go above and beyond to ensure the Latin stars are both heard and seen.
Blue Beetle was one of the films originally announced as an HBO Max exclusive, similar to the now-cancelled batgirl movie, but just before that cancellation it was announced that blue beetle was to receive a theatrical release and went ahead as planned. Although this surprised many, given that batgirl is a much more well-known character, the effort put into ensuring that the film makes for one of the DCEU’s most representative films to date could be one of the reasons he has seen the recent uproar at Warner Bros. Discovery has survived.
While appearing on The Tonight ShowSarandon was asked about her upcoming villain role as Victoria Kord in blue beetle, and while she was careful not to reveal any spoilers for the film, the actress did explain that due to the fact that much of the cast is Mexican or Mexican American, part of the film is in Spanish with subtitles. She said:
“What’s great about it, it’s the first Latinx hero to have his own movie… In fact, all Mexican – because his family is Mexican and all the actors were Mexican or Mexican American, and it’s in Spanish , so it’s subtitled. […] I’m the bad guy of course! I am the white military industrial complex [character] so i had a fantastic time. Because there is nothing better than being bad!”
Blue Beetle will be the first superhero movie with a Latino lead
While the number of Latino characters in superhero movies has increased over the past decade, blue beetle is the first to be led by one. The film also has a strong showing of Latino members behind the scenes, with Peurto Rican Angel Manuel Soto directing the film and Mexican writer Gareth Dunnet-Alcocer writing the film. While it’s not clear from Sarandon’s comments exactly how much of the film will be in Spanish, it sounds like many of the scenes featuring lead actor Jamie Reyes in his home setting will see the characters speak in their local language.
As Hollywood continues to improve diversity and representation, the characters of blue beetle to speak in the language they would use in the real world is another small step up the ladder. While it’s unlikely the true extent of the film’s Spanish-language segments will be known until a trailer is finally released, her reveal suggests that blue beetle is sure to be a unique addition to the superhero genre.