Blue Beetle director is 'calling out to the universe' to make a DC trilogy
Angel Manuel Soto hopes to expand Blue Beetle into a three-part saga
Watch: Blue Beetle director Angel Manuel Soto talks sequels and superhero fatigue
New DC superhero movie Blue Beetle may not have reached cinemas just yet, but director Angel Manuel Soto has already spoken about wanting to turn his superhero adventure into an ongoing series.
“I don't think I would be here talking with you if I didn't think that way,” he tells Yahoo UK when asked about his hopes of making a proposed Blue Beetle trilogy.
“The way the machine works, the [first] movie needs to make money for them to put more money in, but for us, we've always seen it that way,” he says.
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“We love the story so much. We believe in the product so much. We believe in an actor so much. We couldn't help but think about where his journey was going to go while we were creating this film.
"So is it wish fulfilment? Are we calling it out to the universe? Sure.”
Blue Beetle revolves around the plucky Jaime Reyes, played by Cobra Kai’s Xolo Maridue?a, a young man who returns from college to discover that his family are facing eviction from their home.
After taking on a job as a house cleaner for the villainous Victoria Kord (Susan Sarandon), Reyes accidentally fuses with the Scarab, an alien technology that gives him superpowers.
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Of course, one of the major questions for these types of movies concerns whether audiences are “fatigued” by superheroes. The Flash, Shazam: Fury of the Gods, and Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania have all struggled to find an audience, while Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse and Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 have proven otherwise.
“The fatigue conversation... I love movies, I don't get fatigued from movies,” Soto says.
“I like to be entertained, I like to be moved, I like to connect, I like to see other worlds. Cinema for me is something that I will never get fatigued from.
“In terms of how we made this movie feel different, or fresh: we wanted to include the family, as part of this journey, not just as bait. The family has active participation in the formation of this hero, in the formation of Jaime.
"Their values are what makes Jaime the kid he is, but also their active participation is what makes him the hero he'll become.
“We wanted to honour the people that came before us, our ancestors, our parents, and we wanted to give them the heroic arch that they deserve. Because without their sacrifices, which are heroic, we wouldn't be where we are now.
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“People from all walks of life, younger and old, can see this movie and see themselves as heroes, not just Jaime. That support system is important, and we want to celebrate it.
"This is a love letter to their families that gave everything for us to be where we are today.”
Blue Beetle reaches UK cinemas and IMAX on 18 August. Watch a trailer below.
