Watch DC Comics ‘Blue Beetle’ trailer with ‘Cobra Kai’ star in role cocreated by Alabama native
The buzzy new “Blue Beetle” trailer’s origins can be traced back to Cully Hamner’s imagination and fingers. Along with writers John Rogers and Keith Giffen, comic book Hamner, a North Alabama native, cocreated the Jamie Reyes version of the superhero, which DC Comics rebooted in 2006. They updated the character, originally created by Charles Nicholas in the 1930s, as a Mexican-American teen with a high-tech/high-powered armored suit, obtained through the possession of an extraterrestrial scarab, a beetle-shaped amulet.
The Reyes version of the Blue Beetle became a member of marque superhero teams Justice League and Teen Titans. Warner Brothers Pictures’ “Blue Beetle” film hits theaters Aug. 18. You can watch the film’s first trailer below.
Xolo Maridueña, actor known for his role as Miguel Diaz in hit Netflix series “Cobra Kai,” stars as Reyes and the titular superhero. The resemblance between Maridueña and Hamner’s original 2006 design for Reyes is truly striking. “You really can’t get a better match than that,” Hamner posted on social media, after the 2021 casting announcement.
“Blue Beetle” is directed by Angel Manuel Soto, also set to helm an upcoming “Transformers” film and known for his 2020 drama “Charm City Kings.” The “Blue Beetle” film is part of the DC Extended Universe. The cast also includes Adriana Barraza (“Babel,” “Amores perros, etc.”) Damián Alcázar (“The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian”), Susan Sarandon and George Lopez.
Comic book artist Cully Hamner. (Courtesy Cully Hamner)
Hamner grew up in Huntsville and later attended Brewer High School in Morgan County. He now resides in Austin, Texas. During his impressive career, Hamner’s drawn A-list heroes including Batman, Green Lantern, X-Men, Daredevil, Silver Surfer and many others.
He also cocreated “Red,” a 2003 comic-book mini-series later made into a hit action film with Bruce Willis starring as protagonist Frank Moses, a retired CIA agent out for revenge. After the amazing-looking “Blue Beetle” trailer dropped this week, Hamner posted on his socials, “It. Is. ON.”
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