Posted in: Movies, Warner Bros | Tagged: blue beetle, dc studios, warner bros discovery

Blue Beetle: The Reyes Family "Didn't Need A Superhero To Save Them"

Blue Beetle director Angel Manuel Soto explains how the Reyes family doesn't need a superhero to save them and how, in the end, they end up doing the saving.

Blue Beetle didn't exactly reinvent the superhero wheel in many ways, but one thing that it did very differently was the Reyes family in general. We have known for a long time that Jaime wouldn't be sneaking around his family home trying to keep the Scarab and everything that was going on a secret. They are all there from the moment the Scarab first chooses Jaime, and they are a key part of his journey throughout the entire film. The women, specifically, are all given moments where they are complete badasses [we stan Nana Reyes in this house], and they don't need anyone to save them. Director Angel Manuel Soto explained to Collider that the ending to the movie was a little different, more "traditional" in terms of what we expect from superhero movies, but it didn't ring true for the film or the characters.

"There was a time where we wanted to explore an ending where everything is blowing up, and the Bug ship is going out, the Bug ship can't make it, and Jaime gives the extra push and saves the family," said Soto. "But we felt like we've seen that before, and for me, I really wanted all the females in the story, all the women in Jaime's life, to have a heroic arc. I wanted Jaime, on his journey, not to feel like, "This is me saving my family from death."

Usually, in superhero movies, a love interest or a family member is held ransom, and the hero needs to come in and save them. For the record, there is nothing wrong with that. It's a trope for a reason and has existed for as long as superhero comics have existed. However, Soto didn't want to do that; he didn't just want the Reyes family to save themselves. He wanted the Reyes family to save Jaime and be the catalyst for him becoming the Blue Beetle.

"I really wanted the whole thing to feel like the family is saving Jaime so he can become the hero he's supposed to become. And yes, Jenny has her moment with Victoria, but with Jaime, we wanted her to be the last hand and the push that pushes in, and the mom goes out. They didn't need a superhero to save them; they save themselves, and they save the superhero, keeping the whole energy of, "We can save ourselves if we work together," as opposed to, "We need somebody else to save us."

The family in Blue Beetle is the best part of the entire movie, and they get bonus points for making Jenny a love interest who isn't going to let someone hold her hostage. She's the daughter of Ted Kord, and she is a fighter. If we get another one of these films, we can hope they continue to focus on the Reyes family being an asset to Jaime being the Blue Beetle because if there were anyone I would trust to deal with crime? It would be Nana Reyes.

Blue Beetle: Summary, Cast List, Release Date

Only in Theaters August 18 From Warner Bros. Pictures comes the feature film Blue Beetle, marking the DC Super Hero's first time on the big screen. The film, directed by Angel Manuel Soto, stars Xolo Maridueña in the title role as well as his alter ego, Jaime Reyes. 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 Super Hero BLUE BEETLE.

Starring alongside Maridueña ("Cobra Kai") are 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"), Raoul Max Trujillo (the "Sicario" films, "Mayans M.C."), with Oscar winner Susan Sarandon ("Monarch," "Dead Man Walking"), and George Lopez (the "Rio and "Smurf" franchises). The film also stars Belissa Escobedo ("American Horror Stories," "Hocus Pocus 2") and Harvey Guillén ("What We Do in the Shadows"). Soto ("Charm City Kings," "The Farm") directs from a screenplay by Gareth Dunnet-Alcocer ("Miss Bala"), based on characters from DC. John Rickard and Zev Foreman are producing, with Walter Hamada, Galen Vaisman, and Garrett Grant serving as executive producers. A Warner Bros. Pictures Presentation, a Safran Company Production, Blue Beetle, soars into theaters only internationally beginning August 2023 and in North America August 18, 2023. It will be distributed worldwide by Warner Bros. Pictures.

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