Susan Sarandon soars into her first superhero movie with DC's Blue Beetle

Susan Sarandon has taken on many roles in her long and storied career, but she's about to add one she hasn't played — a superhero villain.

The Academy Award winner has officially joined DC Films' Blue Beetle, in which she'll portray Victoria Kord, an original character created for the movie, as first reported by The Wrap. Sharon Stone was previously in talks for the role.

The gig marks Sarandon's first foray into the superhero franchise world, though she did dip her toes into the MCU voicing Black Widow in Marvel's recent podcast series Marvel's Wastelanders.

Helmed by director Angel Manuel Soto (Charm City Kings), Blue Beetle is the first major superhero film to star a Latino superhero. Cobra Kai's Xolo Maridueña plays Jamie Reyes, an ordinary teenager who discovers the Blue Beetle scarab, which gives him a suit of extraterrestrial armor that, in turn, gives him super-speed and super-strength and the ability to create weapons.

In the DC Comics, the alter ego of Blue Beetle is a mantle that, over time, has been passed down through three heroes: Dan Garrett, Ted Kord, and Jamie Reyes.

While Sarandon's role is an original one, it's possible that her name, Victoria Kord, is a nod to one of Blue Beetle's more significant alter egos. The "Ted" version of the character was an inspiration for Watchman's Nite Owl and became a member of Justice League in the early '80s. Or perhaps the movie is introducing a gender-swapped character? Details on the movie have been kept quiet, so at this point, anything is fair game.

With a screenplay from Gareth Dunnet-Alcocer, (Miss Bala), Blue Beetle will also star George Lopez, Adriana Barraza, Elpidia Carrillo, Damián Alcázar, Belissa Escobedo, Bruna Marquezine, Harvey Guillén, and Raoul Max Trujillo.

Blue Beetle is set to be released Aug. 18, 2023.

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