Blue Beetle Writer Spends Premiere Day Supporting Writers Strike

Blue Beetle writer Gareth Dunnet-Alcocer is spending the premiere day picketing in support of the writers strike.

Dunnet-Alcocer wrote the new superhero movie for the DC Extended Universe, which stars Xolo Maridueña as Jaime Reyes, a recent college graduate who is given a Scarab that turns him into a superhero. This movie is notable for featuring the first Latino lead protagonist in a DC superhero film.

Blue Beetle was released on August 18, 2023, from Warner Bros. Pictures, and Dunnet-Alcocer spent the day picketing in front of their studio. “I’m proud, and I’m sad. I’m excited, and I am afraid,” he told The Hollywood Reporter.

“Latino writers don’t usually come from wealth,” he said. “So that’s an extra pressure. The less economic infrastructure you have to help you survive this, it’s less chance to write and express their stories because you can’t write. I think Latinos more than anyone understand the power of unions and the power of fighting,” he said. “It’s in the Latino blood. Revolution and this kind of struggle is in our DNA.”

“If you see Blue Beetle, it is filled with similar ideals of working people and unity and family versus conglomerates and people who want more money,” the writer said. “We just want to work and be proud and have a decent living.”

Who is in the Blue Beetle cast?

The film stars Xolo Maridueña as Jaime Reyes, with a supporting cast including Susan Sarandon, George Lopez, Adriana Barraza, Damián Alcázar, Raoul Max Trujillo, and Becky G.

Blue Beetle is now playing in theaters.