Highlights
- James Gunn takes a "wait-and-see" approach to the potential return of Blue Beetle, similar to his approach with other DC characters like Shazam and The Flash.
- The success of Blue Beetle is crucial, as it is the first DC film in the upcoming DCU timeline after The Flash, but there is confusion surrounding the division between DCU characters and films.
- Xolo Maridueña spoke to Gunn and clarified that the fate of Blue Beetle depends on audience reception and box office performance, leaving the character's future uncertain.
Blue Beetle actor Xolo Maridueña has spoken to James Gunn but fans may get deja vu judging by his response to the character’s potential return, as Gunn reportedly expressed the same wait-and-see approach for Blue Beetle that he did for Zachary Levi's Shazam, Ezra Miller's Barry Allen following The Flash, and presumably the same for Aquaman regarding Jason Momoa's upcoming sequel.
There is much riding on the Blue Beetle's success. According to Gunn, it’s the first DC film following The Flash that exists in the upcoming DCU timeline. However, the DC Studios CEO also states that despite this, the first official DCU film is Superman: Legacy, which he will write and direct. Gunn's divide between DCU characters and films may confuse general audiences and contradict DC Studios co-CEO Peter Safran's statements on "trying to minimize audience confusion and maximize their enjoyment." Amid this, the Blue Beetle actor has spoken to Gunn, but with much-needed clarity comes even more uncertainty, as his response puts the character's fate in the audience's hands.
Maridueña told Fandango he spoke with Gunn, and his takeaway from the conversation was that they “have to cross this first hill and introduce Jamie to the world, but it's up to the audience to watch the movie...If it does well we get to open more doors for more Blue Beetles." Blue Beetle was already in post-production by the time Gunn and Safran were hired as DC Studios' CEOs following the Warner Bros. Discovery merger that saw David Zaslav take control of the company, so Blue Beetle was technically still part of the prior WB regime. As a result, Blue Beetle is essentially a character being offered to Gunn in his DCU reboot, so his answer of leaving the Blue Beetle's fate to the box office is consistent with the hero's absence in the first DC Universe Chapter announcement.
Zack Snyder highlighted a never-before-seen image of Blue Beetle when expressing that he and his family would be watching the movie. The X post currently sits at 16 million views, a much-needed push in the film’s marketing campaign at a time when the actors and director are unable to promote Blue Beetle due to the WGA Strike. Even so, tracking analytics suggest that Blue Beetle will be another box office failure for DC. If this is the case, according to Gunn's business strategy, Blue Beetle may be a one-and-done.
Blue Beetle is not the only DC superhero shrouded in uncertainty, as Gal Gadot may not be done with Wonder Woman either. Unless Gunn and Safran release a cut-and-dry statement on what the future holds for DC, brand confusion may be the unfortunate outcome of a soft reboot that appears unclear with what it wants to do with its characters.
Blue Beetle will debut in theaters on August 18, 2023.
Source: Fandango