Blue Beetle Trivia | 80 facts about the new DCEU film

“Blue Beetle” is a new superhero film taking place in the DCEU starring one of the lesser known characters from the comics.

So let’s find out some trivia and facts about the film.

1. Blue Beetle is a 2023 American superhero film
2. It is based on the DC Comics character Jaime Reyes / Blue Beetle
3. The film is produced by DC Studios and The Safran Company
4. The film was directed by Ángel Manuel Soto
5. It was written by Gareth Dunnet-Alcocer
6. It is the 14th installment of the DC Extended Universe (DCEU)
7. The film stars Xolo Maridueña as Jaime Reyes / Blue Beetle
8. Alongside Adriana Barraza, Damián Alcázar, Elpidia Carrillo, Bruna Marquezine, Raoul Max Trujillo, Susan Sarandon, and George Lopez
9. Development of a film featuring Reyes began by the end of November 2018 with Dunnet-Alcocer attached
10. Soto was hired to direct the film in February 2021
11. The film was initially set for the streaming service HBO Max
12. Maridueña was cast that August
13. The film was changed to have a theatrical release in December
14. Further casting took place in early 2022
15. Before filming took place from late May to mid-July at Wilder Studios in Decatur, Georgia, as well as in El Paso, Texas, and Puerto Rico
16. Blue Beetle premiered in El Paso on August 15, 2023
17. It was released in the United States on August 18, 2023, by Warner Bros. Pictures
18. The film received generally positive reviews from critics
19. Critics praised Maridueña’s performance
20. Warner Bros. Pictures and DC Films were developing a film based on Jaime Reyes / Blue Beetle by the end of November 2018, with Mexican-born Gareth Dunnet-Alcocer writing the screenplay
21. Zev Foreman was executive producing the project for Warner Bros., which was set to be the first DC Extended Universe (DCEU) film
22. Blue Beetle marks the first live-action superhero film starring a Latino lead
23. By December 2020, DC Films was planning to release several mid-budget films a year exclusively on the streaming service HBO Max, rather than in theaters
24. This was part of new DC Films president Walter Hamada’s plan for the DCEU, with Blue Beetle listed as one such project in 2021
25. Puerto Rican director Angel Manuel Soto was hired to direct the film in February 2021
26. During a call received from Warner Bros., Soto had pitched various ideas, including a film about Bane’s origin story, but Warner Bros. had intended for him to direct a film based on Reyes’ Blue Beetle
27. In April, Blue Beetle was included on DC’s slate of films that were expected to be released in 2022 or 2023
28. John Rickard, the president of production at the Safran Company, was producing the film for HBO Max by that August, when filming was expected to begin in early 2022
29. In December 2021, Warner Bros. revealed that the film would be receiving a theatrical release in August 2023 instead of being produced directly for HBO Max
30. Though the film was originally intended to be released as an HBO Max exclusive, the studio decided to release it theatrically after they enjoyed Soto’s creative vision
31. In mid-April 2022, Soto and cinematographer Pawel Pogorzelski visited El Paso, Texas, to meet with local artists, muralists, musicians, and historians to understand the feel of the city
32. Peter Safran was revealed as a producer that October
33. He worked on the film until he became the co-chairman and co-CEO of DC Studios alongside James Gunn the next month
34. Rickard and Foreman were credited as the producers
35. Blue Beetle’s suit was designed by Mayes C. Rubeo and the team from Nine B Collective
36. The design team was inspired from his appearance in Infinite Crisis #3, the Injustice games, Young Justice, and Batman: The Brave and the Bold
37. They had difficulty in creating the mask to fit Maridueña’s full face but also allow him to be emotive, particularly for the mouth area
38. As such, the team had decided to merge the designs of organic alien technology and insectoid features within his suit
39. Visual inspiration for Palmera City came from Akira (1988), Neo Tokyo (1987), and Miami
40. Soto decided to insert a Nintendo Power Glove for Blue Beetle following the inclusion of a shield in the script
41. Principal photography began by May 25, 2022
42. Taking place in the Atlanta metropolitan area, primarily at Wilder Studios in Decatur, Georgia,[43] using the working title Mofongo
43. Pawel Pogorzelski served as the cinematographer
44. Filming for the third act took place at the Castillo San Felipe del Morro, a 500-year-old Spanish fortress located in the Old San Juan, Puerto Rico
45. Filming also occurred in El Paso
46. Sarandon completed filming her scenes by the end of June
47. And Trujillo said in early July that filming was almost complete
48. Filming wrapped on July 18 in Puerto Rico
49. Two days of additional photography took place in February 2023
50. Filming was done mainly at location and with heavy use of practical effects, such as the Blue Beetle suit
51. Soto felt that the use of real-life locations allowed for the practical effects to be better integrated into the movie
52. He said he wanted to prevent the film from rellying too heavily on visual effects
53. He described it as “a tool, not a dependency”, to avoid overworking the visual effect artists
54. Craig Alpert serves as the film’s editor, while Kelvin McIlwain serves as the visual effects supervisor, after previously working on the DCEU films Aquaman (2018) and The Suicide Squad (2021)
55. Visual effects vendors included Digital Domain, Rise FX, Rodeo FX, and Industrial Light & Magic
56. Bobby Krlic was confirmed to score the film by the trailer’s release in April 2023
57. A soundtrack album featuring his score was released by WaterTower Music on August 18, 2023
58. A song from the soundtrack, “Blue Beetle Suite”, was released as a single on August 11
59. Most of the music was composed by Bobby Krlic
60. In the United States and Canada, Blue Beetle was released alongside Strays
61. The film is projected to gross $25 to 32 million from 3,850 theaters in its opening weekend
62. The film made $10 million on its first day
63. The first day gross includes the $3.3 million from Thursday night previews
64. On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, the film holds a 76% rating
65. Based on 179 critics’ reviews
66. With an average rating of 6.3/10
67. The website’s consensus reads: “Led by Xolo Maridueña’s magnetic performance in the title role, Blue Beetle is a refreshingly family-focused superhero movie with plenty of humor and heart”
68. On Metacritic, the film holds a weighted average score of 61 out of 100
69. From 47 critics
70. Indicating “generally favorable reviews”
71. Audiences polled by CinemaScore gave the film an average grade of “B+” on an A+ to F scale
72. While PostTrak reported that moviegoers gave the film a 82% positive score
73. With 65% saying they would definitely recommend it
74. In January 2023, Gunn said the film was “disconnected” from previous DCEU entries and could connect to the DCU
75. By that April, the Blue Beetle character was reportedly part of Gunn and Safran’s plans for the DCU
76. In June, Gunn said Blue Beetle would be the first DCU character while noting Superman: Legacy (2025) is the first DCU film
77. Later that month, Soto said Blue Beetle was a part of the DCU and future plans for the franchise, but was not connected to all prior DCEU films
78. He also expressed interest in the film being the first part of a trilogy
79. A screening of the film was held at El Paso, Texas on August 15, 2023
80. Due to the ongoing 2023 SAG-AFTRA strike, the cast of the film did not attend the premiere at the TCL Chinese Theatre on August 15, with director Ángel Manuel Soto praising the cast as “heroes”