Warner Bros. Animation and DC Studios are set to expand the Blue Beetle universe with a new animated series, according to Deadline. Miguel Puga, known for his work on The Casagrandes, has been chosen as the showrunner and director of this series, with Christian Martinez in charge of writing scripts.
This initiative also sees the return of the film’s original creative team for Blue Beetle of 2023. The director Angel Manuel Soto and the screenwriter Gareth Dunnet-Alcocer are involved as executive producers, accompanied by John Ricard who also had this role for the film. Galen Vaisman, another executive producer of the film, will oversee development of the animated series for DC Studios. Casting decisions are still underway, with discussions to bring back key voice actors. The series will not only replicate the plot of the film, but will offer a fresh story that could lay the groundwork for future film projects featuring the titular character.
Directed by Angel Manuel Soto with a scenario of Gareth Dunnet-Alcocer, Blue Beetle features Jaime Reyes interpreted by Xolo Maridueña, as a young college graduate becoming the bearer of an ancient alien relic called the Scarab, granting him extraordinary powers. The film, also featuring Adriana Barraza, Damian Alcázar, and Susan Sarandon, received favorable reviews but struggled at the box office, grossing only $131 million worldwide on a budget of $104–125 million. The business problems of Blue Beetle were exacerbated by several factors, including strikes in Hollywood in 2023, the imminent reboot of the franchise with the new DC universe, and the disruptions caused by the hurricane Hillary. Despite its struggles in theaters, it quickly became the most streamed film on the streaming service Max of Warner Bros. Discovery.
