According to TheWrap, Cobra Kai breakout star Xolo Maridueña is currently in negotiations for the titular leading role of Jaime Reyes in HBO Max’s forthcoming DC movie Blue Beetle. The project marks Warner Bros. Pictures and DC Films’ first stand-alone superhero movie that will be led by a Latino superhero. Should the deal pushes through, Blue Beetle would also mark Maridueña’s first major movie project and feature-length acting debut, after only starring TV shows such as Parenthood, and Cobra Kai.
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HBO Max’s Blue Beetle movie will be directed by Angel Manuel Soto (Charm City Kings) from a screenplay adapted by Gareth Dunnet-Alcocer (Miss Bala). The film will center around Mexican-American teenager, Jaime Reyes, who is the third character in the comics to take on the mantle of the Blue Beetle following Dan Garret and Ted Kord.
Click here to purchase the first volume of the DC Rebirth storyline of Jamie Reyes’ Blue Beetle.
In the comics, 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 that can be modified to enhance his speed and strength, as well as to create weapons, wings, and shields.
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Blue Beetle is expected to start its production early next year. It will be executive produced by Zev Foreman of Warner Bros. with HBO Max’s John Rickard set as a producer.
Based on the titular DC hero created by Charles Wojtkowski in 1939, Jaime Reyes first appeared in 2006’s Infinite Crisis #5, followed by his own monthly series that debuted in May of 2006 with Blue Beetle #1. The third iteration of the hero was created by Keith Giffen, John Rogers, and Cully Hammer,
