Ángel Manuel Soto Directs Blue Beetle and Features George Lopez
Had Blue Beetle director Ángel Manuel Soto been in control, his superhero film might have exceeded the studio’s intended two-hour runtime, all thanks to the improvisational skills of George Lopez. As per Collider, Soto allowed the cast to deviate from the script, aiming to produce content worthy of inclusion in the final edit. Given Lopez’s background as a seasoned comedian, it came as little astonishment that he grasped and excelled at this task.
“It was fun because we developed this thing where we shoot the script and then … everybody can do whatever they want,” Soto said. “That’s where George Lopez thrives. He gave like a seven-minute improv rant.”
While not all of Lopez’s impromptu lines made it into the ultimate film, Soto mentioned that he managed to retain a handful of them. “We only had one line in the script, and we just had the camera there, and he gave like a seven-minute improv rant of all the different things that Kord is doing to the community.” Soto shared before adding, “[His rant] went crazy – like stuff that couldn’t be there, but it was fun.”
In order to pinpoint what they intended to preserve, they included the improvised moments in an almost 3-hour-long version of the film. “On the first friends and family screening, when the movie was like two hours and 40 minutes long, we played the whole thing just to hear the ones that people are laughing and connecting with. So, we left three in it.”
Considering how funny and dynamic Uncle Rudy was in Blue Beetle we wouldn’t mind seeing this extended cut. When asked if it would be released, Soto said, “We should. I should!”
In addition to Lopez and Maridueña, the cast of Blue Beetle features notable Mexican actors, including Adriana Barraza, Damián Alcázar, and Elpidia Carrillo. The decision to cast Mexican actors was a deliberate choice by Soto, aligning with the portrayal of the family within the movie.