23 Jun – Amid speculations that the less than stellar opening number of "The Flash" was due to audiences' disinterest in superhero movies linked to the past Snyderverse, director Angel Manuel Soto is now stressing that his upcoming film, "Blue Beetle" is part of the new James Gunn and Peter Safran world. Speaking to Total Film recently, Soto stated that their movie is part of the plans that Gunn and Safran are now creating for the future DCU. "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," he said.
At the same time, Soto stated that he made the first movie with the mentality that it could have at least two more films in the future. "And taking the traditional three-act structure of a story, we wanted our first movie to practically be the first act of a saga," he added. The movie, which marks DC's first Latino superhero, stars Xolo Maridueña as Jaime Reyes, who gains a superpower armour after interacting with an alien scarab. It was among the movies that were announced before Safran and Gunn were appointed the heads of DC Studios. "Blue Beetle" is set for 18 August release.