With a release date of August 18, 2023, and the recent drop of an official trailer, DC is getting ready to debut a brand new hero on the big screen with its upcoming Blue Beetle film.
This will be a particularly special film as it marks the very first time a Latino hero has led a DC film. In the titular role of Jaime Reyes (a.k.a. Blue Beetle) is Xolo Maridueña, an actor best known for his breakout role in the popular Netflix series Cobra Kai, in which he portrays Miguel Diaz. Not only will Blue Beetle‘s lead character be of Hispanic descent, but so will the majority of the cast. Director Angel Manuel Soto has been open about his desire to authentically portray a multigenerational Mexican family within the film.
As such, the entire Reyes family will be appearing in Blue Beetle. This includes Reyes’ parents, sister, nana, and uncle. This diverse cast is also teeming with talent and boasts numerous well-established actors with impressive accolades to their names. Here are the confirmed cast and characters in Blue Beetle.
Xolo Maridueña as Jaime Reyes
Maridueña will be leading Blue Beetle as Reyes. In the film, Reyes is a teenager who discovers the Blue Beetle scarab while working at Kord Industries. The scarab transforms into alien battle armor, giving Reyes superpowers he uses to fight crime. We’ve seen Maridueña’s talent in Cobra Kai, where he’s demonstrated his penchant for martial arts and action sequences. Even before his official casting, fans were already naming Maridueña as the top choice to portray Reyes. Blue Beetle will mark Maridueña’s first appearance in a feature film, and he seems up to the challenge. This is a great chance to really show audiences the full extent of his talent.
Susan Sarandon as Victoria Kord
Susan Sarandon will be starring as the film’s main villain, Victoria Kord. She has starred in such projects as Thelma & Louise, The Client, and Dead Man Walking. Amongst her numerous accolades are an Academy Award and a BAFTA Award, as well as six Emmy nominations. Sarandon’s Victoria is seemingly an original character, who made her comic book debut after her role in the Blue Beetle film was announced. In the newly released comics featuring Victoria, it is revealed that she is the sister of Ted Kord, another iteration of the Blue Beetle, and she’s the CEO of Kord Industries.
In the trailer, it seems she’s using her relation to a different Blue Beetle and her stake in Kord Industries to get her hands on the scarab that bonded to Reyes. Sharon Stone was initially tapped to play Victoria, but the role ultimately went to Sarandon, and she looks pretty good as a DC villain in the Blue Beetle trailer.
Raoul Max Trujillo as Conrad Carapax
Raoul Max Trujillo has been cast as Blue Beetle‘s second villain, Conrad Carapax (a.k.a. Carapax the Indestructible Man). Trujillo is a well-established actor, best known for his roles in Mayans M.C., Apocalypto, and the Sicario films. Unlike Sarandon’s baddie, Trujillo’s villain has a comic book background. Carapax was an archaeologist who accidentally had his mind infused into the electronic brain of a robot. He was a frequent opponent of Ted Kord’s version of Blue Beetle.
While the film focuses on Reyes’ Blue Beetle, it’s interesting that it seems to have some references to other variations of the hero. It will also be interesting to see Trujillo’s take on a man trapped inside a robot’s body.
George Lopez as Uncle Rudy Reyes
George Lopez’s casting in Blue Beetle as Reyes’ uncle, Rudy, is one of the most exciting additions. Lopez is a veteran comedian and actor who has appeared in countless films and shows and has been recognized for his numerous contributions to the Latino community. This will mark his very first appearance in a DC movie. Not much is known about Lopez’s role, other than his relationship to Reyes. In the trailer, though, it looks like he serves as a mentor to Reyes while also adding some comic relief.
Bruna Marquezine as Jenny Kord
Bruna Marquezine was initially believed to be portraying a character named Penny. However, she will actually be starring as Jenny Kord, Reyes’ love interest and the daughter of Victoria. Marquezine is a rising Brazilian actress who is best known for appearing in Maldivas, Breaking Through, and Mulheres Apaixonadas. Jenny seems to be an original character, though she may be based on Reyes’ love interests in comic books. His most prominent love interest was Traci Thirteen, a young hero who had magical powers and joined the Teen Titans alongside Reyes. Whether Marquezine’s character will draw from Traci or create an entirely new love interest remains to be seen.
Belissa Escobedo as Milagro Reyes
Belissa Escobedo will be appearing as Reyes’ younger sister, Milagro Reyes. Escobedo is best known for appearing in The Beauty and the Baker, Don’t Look Deeper, and Hocus Pocus 2. In the comic books, Milagro was one of the more visible members of the Reyes family. She was once injured by the Black Beetle, who claimed to be Reyes from the future and further claimed that Milagro would one day destroy the Blue Beetle scarab. In another story arc, Milagro is devastated and traumatized when Reyes disappears for a year. It will be intriguing to see if the film explores any of these Milagro arcs.
Elpidia Carrillo & Damián Alcázar as Rocio & Alberto Reyes
Elpidia Carrillo and Damián Alcázar have been cast as Reyes’ parents—Rocio and Alberto Reyes, respectively. You may recognize Carrillo from her roles in Predator and Euphoria, while Alcázar is best known for starring in Narcos. In the comic books, Alberto is a veteran and mechanic who is permanently injured after being shot by a disgruntled employee. He refused to let Reyes work with him, pushing him to enjoy his childhood instead. Rocio never had much characterization in the comic books, so it will be interesting to see Carrillo’s interpretation. What’s especially interesting is that, in the comics, Reyes’ parents didn’t know his secret right away. However, the film seems to be taking a different approach by having his entire family present when he first becomes Blue Beetle.
Adriana Barraza as Nana
Adriana Barraza rounds out the Reyes family with her role as Reyes’ Nana. Barazza is a seasoned actress who also runs her own acting school in Miami. She is known for appearing in Bingo Hill, Penny Dreadful: City of Angels, and Dora and the Lost City of Gold. Barraza also appeared in the film Babel, a role that earned her an Academy Award nomination. While Nana hasn’t been featured in the comics, we’re definitely excited to see her in the film. This means we’ll have three generations of the Reyes family in Blue Beetle. This isn’t Barraza’s first time portraying a beloved abuelita, and her performance is sure to be heartwarming.
Harvey Guillén as Dr. Sanchez
Harvey Guillén was initially cast in Blue Beetle in an undisclosed role. Guillén is best known for portraying Guillermo de la Cruz in the TV series What We Do in the Shadows. He also voices Nightwing in the Harley Quinn animated TV series. The Blue Beetle trailer confirmed that Guillen is playing a character named Dr. Sanchez. Few details have been released about the character, but reports suggest Guillén’s Dr. Sanchez will play a key role in the film. There are no prominent DC Comics characters named Dr. Sanchez, but there is an Alejandro Sanchez whose alter ego is the villain Firebrand. It remains to be seen who this Dr. Sanchez really is and whether he has roots in the comics.
(featured image: DC Universe)
