When the doors to DC’s Gunnverse first flew open back in January 2023, the hype for the next big superhero franchise shot up in a big way (yes, even in a world that still believes in “superhero fatigue”).
Back then, 11 projects were revealed, with a 12th and 13th to follow in an untitled Arkham-centric series and a film centered on the Teen Titans. Now, per Deadline, we have word on number 14; an animated series centered on the one and only Jaime Reyes, aka Blue Beetle.
In the past, Gunn confirmed Blue Beetle as one of the four characters, along with Peacemaker, Vigilante, and Amanda Waller, who will be reprised in the DCU by the same actors who portrayed them in the DCEU days. But, since this is an animated series, there’s an unspoken wiggle room to the necessity of bringing Xolo Maridueña — who portrayed the titular character in the 2023 live-action Blue Beetle film — to voice him. So, what’s the deal there?
Is Xolo Maridueña voicing Blue Beetle in this new animated series?
At the time of writing, there’s no confirmation on Maridueña’s casting just yet, but in the same report, DC Studios stated that they’ve had positive responses from the Blue Beetle cast on the topic of returning to voice their characters. In other words, this could mean we could end up seeing not only Maridueña return, but also George Lopez as Uncle Rudy, or even Adriana Barraza as Nana (who should get her own series if there’s any justice in this world; if you know, you know).
In any case, the Blue Beetle animated series is probably pretty far down the line at this point, so for now, we’re better off looking ahead to Creature Commandos, which will kick off the DCU continuity this December.
