‘Blue Beetle’ trailer: ‘Cobra Kai’ star Xolo Maridueña takes flight in DC superhero blockbuster [Watch]

Before James Gunn and Peter Safran put their official imprint on the DC Comics movie universe, there’s the matter of the previous regimes features coming into public view. On Monday, Warner Bros. released the first trailer for one of the three remaining pre-Gunn projects, “Blue Beetle,” a family-focused superhero adventure based on the popular comic property of the same name.

Directed by Angel Manuel Soto and starring “Cobra Kai” actor Xolo Maridueña in the lead role, “Blue Beetle” focuses on recent college grad Jaime Reyes who, according to the plot summary, “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.”

Adriana Barraza (“Rambo: Last Blood,” “Thor”), Damían Alcázar (“Narcos,” “Narcos: Mexico”), Elpidia Carrillo (“Mayans M.C.,” the “Predator” films), Bruna Marquezine (“Maldivas,” “God Save the King”), and Raoul Max Trujillo (the “Sicario” films, “Mayans M.C.”) all co-star alongside Susan Sarandon and George Lopez.

“Blue Beetle” is historic in that it is the first superhero movie to focus on a Latino lead and his experience. Speaking to The Hollywood Reporter last year, Maridueña said the movie’s success was about more than his career. “‘Blue Beetle’ isn’t to make me the next heartthrob or biggest star. It’s just to show people, ‘Hey, these stories about Latinos don’t have to just be about narcos or crossing the border or being a gang member. You can be portrayed in a positive light,’” he said. “A superhero seems like the most positive light you can get in this industry.”

This is a project that was originally envisioned as an HBO Max movie. But unlike “Batgirl,” which Warner Bros. axed altogether, “Blue Beetle” was elevated to a straight theatrical release. While Gunn has laid out an entire vision for the future of DC on the big screen that doesn’t necessarily mean Blue Beetle will be a standalone feature lost to time and executive suite shuffles. Gunn has said the film stands disconnected from the previous DCU that was spearheaded by Zack Snyder. In fact, it’s expected “The Flash,” which arrives in theaters two months before “Blue Beetle,” will allow the entire slate to reset itself due to its multiverse plot.

“Blue Beetle” is out on August 18. 

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