Blue Beetle director thinks there’s still a future for Xolo Maridueña’s DC hero: “I don’t think that chapter has been closed”

There were plenty of costumed casualties during the reboot of the DC universe that fans would’ve preferred to see make it over to whatever James Gunn had planned under DC Studios. While the likes of Peacemaker got away safe and sound, one young hero with a lot of potential, Blue Beetle, played by Cobra Kai’s Xolo Maridueña, was left in limbo. Released just in time for the comic book universe reboot to get underway, the film was caught in the transition, and Jaime Reyes’ future was left up in the air as a result.

It sounds like hope is not lost, though, as the film’s director Ángel Manuel Soto has spoken out about what potential part Blue Beetle could play in the DCU in the future. While doing the rounds for his new film, The Wrecking Crew, starring Jason Momoa (former Aquaman and new Lobo) and Dave Bautista, Soto assured that conversations have been had that could hint at Blue Beetle saving the day once more.

“I don’t think that chapter has been closed,” Soto teased The Wrap. “I’ve had friendly conversations with Peter Safran and John Rickard. And I know James is a huge fan of Blue Beetle, and he’s said multiple times that Blue Beetle is part of the DCU.”

Gunn’s vision of the DC Universe has stretched further than just the big screen since it kicked off, though. Before David Corenswet took to the skies as Superman and we got a second season of Peacemaker, the all-new DCU’s first steps were animated ones by way of Creature Commandos. It’s this arena that Soto assured has been considered (and was reported back in June last year) for further adventures with Blue Beetle and the family that is fully aware of his superheroic activities.

“I will say that I personally – I’m not saying that they’ve said it – I personally would love to continue Blue Beetle 2, Blue Beetle 3, work with Xolo and the whole Reyes family,” the director explained. “But we have had conversations of how we can expand the adventures of the Reyes family via animation. And if that’s something that finally happens, whether it happens or not, conversations have been had. It would be nice.”

As the DC Universe has developed, James Gunn has made it clear that if any characters crossover from animation to live action, the same actor will play them in every iteration. This was already the case with Frank Grillo as Rick Flagg Sr, who appeared in Creature Commandos, Peacemaker, and Superman. Keeping this in mind, it’d be great to see Maridueña flesh out his character further in an animated capacity before bringing him back to live-action life further down the line.

“I think that you can do so much with animation, and it’s also a fun medium that I’ve always wanted to explore,” Soto added. “So if the movie gods and the people and our dear friends at DC and Warner Bros. see it fit, I would love nothing more than to continue to tell that story.”

For now, we’ll have to wait and see if Reyes returns, but in the meantime, keep up to date on every other DC project heading our way via our guide here.