Blue Beetle Filmmakers Asked For Two Days Of Extra Shooting, But WB Said No (Updated)
BY RYAN SCOTT/UPDATED: JULY 20, 2023 2:56 PM EST
Update: Looks like The Hollywood Reporter screwed up in a huge way on this one, folks. After publishing a story yesterday in which the outlet claimed the "Blue Beetle" filmmakers were denied a request for two additional shooting days, THR quietly changed their piece and added this note to the bottom of their article: "Updated to note that the filmmakers of 'Blue Beetle' were given two days of additional photography. A previous version said they were denied those days." Our original article continues.
It sounds like things have gotten a little hectic with DC behind the scenes as Warner Bros. handles the transition from the old regime to the new one, with DC Studios now being led by James Gunn and Peter Safran. The duo inherited a slate of films that were connected to the DC Extended Universe, aka the Snyderverse, and those movies cost a lot of money — meaning, they also need to make a lot of money, particularly after the disaster that was "The Flash." Unfortunately, it sounds like the filmmakers behind "Blue Beetle" were left out in the cold.
The Hollywood Reporter has broken down what's been going on behind the scenes with director James Wan's "Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom." The film has been delayed several times and has now undergone three separate rounds of presumably costly reshoots. On the flip side, however, is director Angel Manuel Soto's "Blue Beetle." According to THR, Soto and his crew recently asked for two days of reshoots to fine-tune their film, only to be turned down.
One can understand Warner Bros. attempting to keep budgets reasonable right now, especially when it comes to movies that may not even carry over to Gunn and Safran's new DC Universe. That said, they seem perfectly happy to keep spending money on the "Aquaman" sequel, which is going to cost well over $200 million. Then again, the original made $1.14 billion and remains the highest-grossing DC movie ever. So they have reason to believe salvaging "Lost Kingdom" is worth it, regardless of how chaotic the situation appears from the outside looking in.
A messy end to the DCEU
While the budget for "Blue Beetle" has not been revealed just yet, the film was originally supposed to go directly to HBO Max (which is now just called Max). However, the brass at Warner Bros. liked the movie enough that they opted to give it a theatrical release instead, which seemed to speak volumes about its quality. In comparison, the studio's $90 million "Batgirl" movie was scrapped entirely after production was completed.
It may just be that Warner Bros. feels the movie is fine as it is and the reshoots aren't necessary. It may also be that they are just done investing in anything that isn't directly related to "Aquaman" or the new DC Universe. In any event, it feels very much like the DCEU as we knew it is destined for a messy end. Granted, this whole cinematic universe was always pretty messy, starting with the still remarkably divisive "Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice" on through to the snafu that was "Justice League" and everything that followed. For better or worse, it's time to move on.
"Cobra Kai" breakout Xolo Maridueña stars in "Blue Beetle" as Jamie Reyes, aka Blue Beetle, with Adriana Barraza ("Thor"), Damían Alcázar ("Narcos: Mexico"), Elpidia Carrillo ("Mayans M.C."), Bruna Marquezine ("God Save the King"), Raoul Max Trujillo ("Sicario"), Susan Sarandon ("Thelma & Louise"), George Lopez ("Rio"), Belissa Escobedo ("Hocus Pocus 2"), and Harvey Guillén ("What We Do in the Shadows") rounding out the ensemble.
"Blue Beetle" is set to hit theaters on August 18, 2023.