“Cobra Kai” star Xolo Maridueña might turn in his karate outfit for a superhero uniform as he negotiates for the lead role in the upcoming “Blue Beetle” movie…
“Cobra Kai” star Xolo Maridueña is currently in talks for the lead role in the upcoming “Blue Beetle” movie from Warner Bros. and DC, which will go directly to HBO Max.
The 20-year-old breakout star from “The Karate Kid” sequel series on Netflix was immediately singled out as a potential star for the film after news of a “Blue Beetle” movie was first revealed earlier this year.
“Blue Beetle” is a character with deep roots in the DC Universe, although there have been numerous versions with various origin stories over the year. Maridueña would be playing Jamie Reyes, who is expected to be the first Latino superhero headlining a DC film alongside “In the Heights” star Leslie Grace as the new “Batgirl.”
“The original Beetle was an archaeologist named Dan Garrett, who discovered an ancient Scarab in an old Egyptian tomb that gave him superpowers which he used to fight crime. He was succeeded by the brilliant Ted Kord, who had no powers to speak of, but carried on the Blue Beetle legacy with just his wits and his fists, along with a whole lot of gadgets and a sharp sense of humor.
“The most recent Blue Beetle is Jaime Reyes, a teenager from El Paso, Texas who bonded with Dan Garrett’s Scarab. The artifact gave him incredible alien armor which he used to defend his hometown from all manner of metahuman criminals.”
Maridueña got his start with a role on the sitcom “Parenthood” but he shot to stardom after being cast as Miguel Diaz in “Cobra Kai,” which was just nominated for Best Comedy Series at the 2021 Emmy Awards.
“Cobra Kai” has already wrapped production on season 4 of the series with the show expected to return to Netflix in the fall with all signs pointing towards a fifth season of the popular show. Chances are Maridueña will not have any interference to film “Blue Beetle” should he close the deal for the film.
The new “Blue Beetle” movie is being directed by Angel Manuel Soto, who came to fame for his work on the indie darling “Charm City Kings” while Gareth Dunnet-Alcocer — who wrote the upcoming “Scarface” remake as well as the film “Miss Bala” — is set to pen the script.
H/T: The Wrap
