After his DC superhero movie Blue Beetle dethroned Barbie for the top spot at the domestic box office, Puerto Rican filmmaker Ángel Manuel Soto has lined up his next project, as he’s set to direct The Wrecking Crew for MGM.
Written by Warrior creator Jonathan Tropper prior to the WGA strike, The Wrecking Crew is described as an action-packed buddy comedy, though plot details are being kept under wraps.
TheWrap broke the news, reporting that Dune co-stars Jason Momoa and Dave Bautista were in talks to play the two leads prior to the SAG-AFTRA strike, as the muscular duo has been attached to the project since 2021. Jeffrey Fierson, who worked with Momoa on Frontier, will produce The Wrecking Crew.
Thanks to the Aquaman and Guardians of the Galaxy franchises, Momoa and Bautista are well-known to comic book movie fans, who are no doubt excited to see them kick some ass together. Momoa also recently played the villain in Fast X, and he has Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom due for release in December. That sequel is the last movie to be released from the DCU, as next year’s Joker: Folie à Deux isn’t considered part of that cinematic universe.
Soto’s Blue Beetle grossed $25 million over its opening weekend, which was in line with industry expectations. Xolo Maridueña stars as Jaime Reyes, a Mexican-American teenager who is transformed into the titular superhero after bonding with a magical scarab. Oscar winner Susan Sarandon co-stars alongside George Lopez and Harvey Guillén.
Prior to Blue Beetle, Soto directed the acclaimed Sundance movie Charm City Kings, and he also produced and directed the Max docuseries Menudo Forever Young.
In addition to The Wrecking Crew, Soto is also developing an untitled Transformers spinoff for Paramount that he plans to co-write and direct, and he’s also working with that studio on an animated/live-action hybrid movie that will star Ryan Reynolds. Separately, Soto is developing an Amazon series with co-creator Gareth Dunnett Alcocer and executive producer Junot Diaz.
Soto is represented by Redefine Entertainment and CAA, the latter of which also reps Bautista and Tropper along with Meisner Entertainment Group and Kaplan/Perrone Entertainment, respectively. Momoa is repped by WME.
