The director of Blue Beetle has already found his next movie: a buddy comedy that has Jason Momoa and Dave Bautista in talks to star.
The Wrap broke the news today, and IGN confirmed with a source close to the production, that Blue Beetle’s Ángel Manuel Soto is directing the film, titled The Wrecking Crew, for MGM. While deal-making for actors is currently on hold for the most part, at least for major studio productions, The Wrap reports that Momoa and Bautista were being eyed and engaged in talks prior to SAG-AFTRA joining the Writers Guild of America on the picket lines last month.
Additionally, Jonathan Topper is on board to write in a deal that was negotiated and closed before the WGA strike was called.
While Blue Beetle had a financially underwhelming debut this past weekend, Soto did manage to score mostly positive reviews, with many hailing it as a refreshing entry in the recent crop of DCEU movies. The DCEU has struggled at the box office this year – The Flash just ended its run with a massively disappointing $268 million worldwide, and Shazam: Fury of the Gods flopped with $133 million globally – but there’s some speculation that the goodwill around Blue Beetle could translate into legs at the box office, despite having one of the DCEU’s lowest opening weekends (and hey, just ask Pixar’s Elemental about a box office rebound).
Former wrestler Bautista, meanwhile, only continues to add big Hollywood roles to his resume. While his best-known film role is most likely Drax in the Guardians of the Galaxy series, he’s also had prominent parts in Riddick, Spectre, Blade Runner 2049, My Spy, and most recently M. Night Shyamalan’s Knock at the Cabin.
And Momoa’s kept busy ever since breaking out as Khal Drogo in Game of Thrones, recently making an impression with his eccentric Fast X antagonist. As IGN’s Tom Jorgensen wrote in his 5/10 review, Fast X’s “only real redeeming quality is Jason Momoa’s bonkers performance as the villain.” He’s also made a splash (sorry) as Aquaman in the DCEU, with Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom set to debut on Dec. 20.
Funny enough, this wouldn’t even mark the first time Momoa and Bautista have appeared in a movie together; both were in 2021’s Dune.
For more on Blue Beetle, check out our breakdown on how the film gets Latinos right.
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Alex Stedman is a Senior News Editor with IGN, overseeing entertainment reporting. When she’s not writing or editing, you can find her reading fantasy novels or playing Dungeons & Dragons.