Now, who’s voicing the scarab that’s taking over DC’s next superhero? Becky G, of course. The “DOLLAR†singer announced via Instagram that she is voicing the Khaji-Da, an alien being that controls the Scarab. This is her second superhero role after playing Trini Kwan, the yellow Power Ranger in the 2017 film. Khaji-Da decides who gets the superpowers and becomes the Blue Beetle. Spoiler alert: it gives the power to Cobra Kai’s Xolo Maridueña, who plays Jaime Reyes and becomes the DCU’s first Latinx superhero. Check out how Becky G and Maridueña become a team in the final trailer for the film above.
Originally slated for an HBO Max release, Blue Beetle got bumped up to a theatrical release in the same Warner Bros. Discovery shuffle that saw Batgirl get the axe. The scarab gives Reyes a suit of high-powered armor that can withstand space travel and also shoot various armaments. Sort of a Venom-meets–Iron Man situation, if some MCU points of reference help. Within both the movie and the DC Comics unvierse, Reyes is the third Blue Beetle, following Dan Garrett and Ted Kord.
Susan Sarandon will also star, playing the villainous original character Victoria Kord, who’s other Blue Beetle Ted’s sister. Bruna Marquezine, Belissa Escobedo, What We Do in the Shadows’ Harvey Guillén, George Lopez, Adriana Barraza, Elpidia Carrillo, Damián Alcázar, and Raoul Max Trujillo will round out the cast. Blue Beetle comes to theaters August 18, 2023.