In a recent interview with Total Film magazine, Blue Beetle director Angel Manuel Soto reconfirmed that the titular character will be part of James Gunn’s DCU Chapter One. "We are part of the universe, we are part of the world, we are part of the plans that they have been creating for the future installments of the DCU," Soto told the magazine.

This is exciting news as it reflects similar statements made by Gunn himself, though he previously only commented that Blue Beetle would be the first DCU character, “I mean the first DCU character, for sure, is Blue Beetle, and the first full DCU movie is Superman.” His distinction between the first DCU character and first DCU movie is likely due to the plans for Blue Beetle being put into motion before he took over the reigns.

In the same interview with Total Film, Soto also indicated that he saw Blue Beetle’s story playing out over the course of two additional movies. “Our first movie, the way we wanted to do it, was always with the mentality that we wanted to do two more, at least," he told the magazine. "And taking the traditional three-act structure of a story, we wanted our first movie to practically be the first act of a saga."

Whether or not a Blue Beetle trilogy is also James Gunn’s larger plans for the DC remains to be seen. Much could hinge on the film’s box office success, especially after The Flash opened up to disappointing box office numbers during its first weekend.

Blue Beetle is set to premiere exclusively in theaters on August 18, 2023. The film stars Xolo Maridueña as Jaime Reyes / Blue Beetle, Susan Sarandon as Victoria Kord, Raoul Max Trujillo as Carapax the Indestructible Man, Harvey Guillén as Ted Kord, Becky G as the voice of the scarab, and George Lopez as Rudy Reyes.