Will Blue Beetle Be in the New DCU?

Last April, the trailer for Blue Beetle was released, which gave fans a glimpse of the bug-themed superhero Jaime Reyes/Blue Beetle in action. But there has been confusion as to whether Blue Beetle will be part of the new DC Universe (DCU).

Blue Beetle is set to be DC's first Latino-led superhero film. The film was in production even before James Gunn and Peter Safran were appointed as co-CEOs of DC Studios.

It's also listed as the 14th film in the DC Extended Universe (DCEU). But with The Flash resetting the DCEU, it raises questions as to when Blue Beetle takes place and whether it will be part of the new DCU.

So, will Blue Beetle be in the new DCU? DC Studios co-CEO James Gunn said that Blue Beetle is the "first DCU character."

Additionally, Blue Beetle director Angel Manuel Soto said that the film is part of James Gunn's DCU slate and that there are already plans for sequels.

Will Blue Beetle Be in the DCU?

Credit: DC

In January 2023, James Gunn said that Blue Beetle would be "disconnected” from previous DCEU films and that "he can totally be a part of the DCU." Gunn said (via Gizmodo):

“I think that we’ve gotten lucky with the next four movies, frankly, because we have Shazam, which leads into Flash, which resets everything, which then goes into Blue Beetle, which is totally disconnected. He can totally be a part of the DCU, [and that] goes into Aquaman, which leads into Superman, our first big project.”

This month, Gunn revealed that Blue Beetle is the "first DCU character", while Superman: Legacy is the first DCU film. In Michael Rosenbaum's Inside of You podcast (via ComicBook), Gunn said:

"I mean the first DCU character for sure is Blue Beetle and the first DCU movie is Superman."

And recently, director Angel Manuel Soto confirmed that Blue Beetle is part of James Gunn's DCU slate. In an interview with Total Film magazine (via GamesRadar), Soto said:

"We are part of the universe, we are part of the world, we are part of the plans that they have been creating for the future instalments of the DCU. But we are not tied to all the films from the past. Yes, our movie lives in the world where superheroes exist. But that doesn't mean that a certain event, or certain alliance, or certain things from the past dictate where our film is going."

Additionally, Soto revealed that there are already plans for sequels. He said:

"Our first movie, the way we wanted to do it, was always with the mentality that we wanted to do two more, at least. And taking the traditional three-act structure of a story, we wanted our first movie to practically be the first act of a saga."

So, we can expect to see more of Blue Beetle in the new DCU.

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When is Blue Beetle Coming Out?

Credit: DC

Blue Beetle is scheduled to be released in theaters on August 18, 2023.

Blue Beetle will star Xolo Maridueña as Jaime Reyes/Blue Beetle alongside Adriana Barraza, Damián Alcázar, Raoul Max Trujillo, Susan Sarandon, and George Lopez.

Watch the trailer for Blue Beetle below:

The film's synopsis reads:

Recent college grad Jaime Reyes returns home full of aspirations for his future, only to find that home is not quite as he left it. As he searches to find his purpose in the world, fate intervenes when Jaime unexpectedly finds himself in possession of an ancient relic of alien biotechnology: the Scarab. When the Scarab suddenly chooses Jaime to be its symbiotic host, he is bestowed with an incredible suit of armor capable of extraordinary and unpredictable powers, forever changing his destiny as he becomes the superhero Blue Beetle.

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