DC and Warner Bros. Pictures’ upcoming Blue Beetle film has reportedly cast Ted Lasso star Jason Sudeikis as a major character.
According to The Cosmic Circus, a cast listing for a “Ted Body Double” indicates that Sudeikis will appear in the upcoming film as Ted Kord, one of the original Blue Beetles, who first appeared in DC Comics in 1966. The listing states that Blue Beetle is seeking “blonde ad brunette talent for a still photo shoot.” According to the listing, the actors must “match the complexion of the reference photo,” which is clearly a photograph of Sudeikis, though the eyes have been blurred out.
Directed by Angel Manuel Soto and written by Gareth Dunnet-Alcocer, Blue Beetle will star Xolo Maridueña as Jaime Reyes, the third and most recent iteration of the titular hero. Whether or not Ted Kord will appear in the upcoming film remains unconfirmed, though official concept art for the film hints as Kord Industries, the company owned by Ted Kord, will have a significant role in the film.
Though Ted’s role remains unconfirmed by DC or Warner Bros., Susan Sarandon was recently tapped to portray the villainous Victoria Kord, who shares the hero’s last name. While it’s unclear how she is related to Ted Kord/Blue Beetle, the character was created specifically for the upcoming DC Extended Universe film.
Maridueña’s casting as Blue Beetle was announced in August during the premiere of James Gunn’s The Suicide Squad. The Blue Beetle film was announced in November 2018, with Dunnet-Alcocer joining as the writer for a story focused on Reyes, the modern version of the hero. In February 2021, Soto, who previously directed Charm City King, boarded the movie. “It is an honor to direct Blue Beetle, the first Latino superhero film for DC,” Soto said at the time. “I want to sincerely thank everyone at Warner Bros. and DC for trusting me to bring Jaime Reyes to life. I can’t wait to make history together.”
There have been three versions of Blue Beetle in the comics and the film will follow Reyes, who debuted in 2006’s Infinite Crisis #3 and took up the mantle two issues later. Created by Keith Giffen, John Rogers, and Cully Hamner, Reyes finds the Scarab, one of the most powerful pieces of technology in the universe, which granted the original Blue Beetle his powers. It outfits him with an alien exosuit that grants him numerous abilities, including flight, enhanced strength, and weapon and energy generation. Ted Kord was the second Blue Beetle, who took up the mantle from Dan Garret.
Along with Maridueña and Sarandon, Blue Beetle also stars Belissa Escobedo as Milagros Reyes, George Lopez as Uncle Rudy, Adriana Barraza as Nana, Elpidia Carrillo as Rocio, Damián Alcázar as Alberto and Harvey Guillén in a currently undisclosed role.
While Blue Beetle was originally intended as an HBO Max exclusive, the DCEU film is now expected to arrive in theaters on Aug. 18, 2023.
Source: The Cosmic Circus
Read Next
About The Author
