When you catch Blue Beetle in cinemas later this August, prepare to hear the voice of our very own Inka Magnaye as the voice of the Scarab.
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With the new DCU coming in the next few years, a new era for DC comic book movies is on the way, leaving the last two films of the DCEU, Blue Beetle and Aquaman 2, in limbo. But just because they may no longer play into a bigger connected universe doesn’t mean they aren’t worth watching. In particular, the Blue Beetle film got a local twist that gave us another reason to catch it, with Inka Magnaye voicing one of the main characters of the movie.
BLUE BEETLE’S DEBUT
While Blue Beetle may not be a household name as compared to the likes of Superman and Batman, he’s still a pretty cool hero. The film centers on recent college grad Jaime Reyes, who made his comics debut in 2006, as he returns home full of aspirations for his future, only to find that home is not quite as he left it. As he searches to find his purpose in the world, fate intervenes when Jaime unexpectedly finds himself in possession of an ancient relic of alien biotechnology: the Scarab.
When the Scarab suddenly chooses Jaime to be its symbiotic host, he is bestowed with an incredible suit of armor capable of extraordinary and unpredictable powers, forever changing his destiny as he becomes the Super Hero Blue Beetle. The Scarab, called Khaji-Da, guides Jaime and helps him discover – and learn to control – his seemingly limitless new powers.
As the Blue Beetle, Jaime has the power to turn nearly anything he thinks with his mind to reality through his alien suit. But all that might eventually attracts unwarranted attention. Now, Jaime must step up to be the hero that he is to save his family and stop those who want to use the Scarab for evil.
INKA MAGNAYE GOES HOLLYWOOD
In the original version, the Scarab is voiced by singer/actress Becky G. But for the Philippine release, the Scarab gets a local spin as Warner Bros. Philippines recently announced that Filipina voice talent and content creator Inka Magnaye will voice the Scarab. Inka is considered royalty in the voicework industry in the Philippines, with her voice something you’ve heard even if you didn’t know it was her. Her rich body of work includes voicework for Philippine Airlines (she voices the carrier’s in-flight instructional safety announcement), Pond’s, Smart, Globe, Nissin, Mitsubishi, and the popular podcast Sleeping Pill With Inka.
Now, she’s heading to the silver screen as she brings her distinct charm to the voice of the Scarab. Fun fact, Inka makes history as the first Philippine-based Filipino talent to do voice-over work in a DC film, where she will be properly credited with her name appearing in the credits. And if that wasn’t enough, some of the Scarab’s lines are even in Tagalog, a fun treat for Pinoy fans.
Watch for Inka Magnaye’s turn as the Scarab in Blue Beetle when it opens exclusively in Philippine cinemas on August 16.
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