Xolo Maridueña may be swapping a karate gi for the extraterrestrial armor of the Blue Beetle.

According to The Wrap, the Cobra Kai star is in talks to star in the lead role of Jaime Reyes in Blue Beetle for HBO Max, Warner Bros. and DC Films.

On board to direct is Angel Manuel Soto of Charm City Kings. The screenplay will be written by Mexican-born writer Gareth Dunnet-Alcocer, who wrote Universal’s Scarface remake and Sony’s Miss Bala.

In DC Comics, Blue Beetle is the superhero alter ego used by three different heroes, but the upcoming film will focus on Mexican-American teenager Jaime Reyes, the third character to assume the Blue Beetle title.

Jaime Reyes isn’t DC’s first Latino character to appear in its movie universe; Jay Hernandez played El Diablo in Suicide Squad, Rosie Perez was Renee Montoya in Birds of Prey, and Sasha Calle was cast as Supergirl in the Flash movie. This will however, be the first stand-alone title to feature a Latino lead.

Leslie Grace, who is Dominican-American and who was a breakout star of In the Heights, was cast in Batgirl-slash-Barbara Gordon in the upcoming film also from HBO Max.

Blue Beetle would follow Jaime, who in the comics is the third character to take on the role of Blue Beetle following the death of Ted Kord. The report indicates that the film is expected to begin filming early next year.

Created by Keith Giffen, John Rogers, and Cully Hammer, Jaime’s tenure significantly changed the direction of the Blue Beetle story. The Egyptian scarab that gives Jaime his hero powers is actually alien in origin, and provided a sort of extraterrestrial suit of armor. Jaime’s career led him to serve as a member of the Justice League, Justice League International, Teen Titans, Young Justice, and the Secret Six.

DC fans have seen the Blue Beetle before; this will be the second time that the character appeared in live-action production, as he previously was portrayed by Jaren Brandt Bartlett on Smallville. The character has appeared multiple times across animation, including Batman: The Brave and the Bold, Young Justice: Invasion, DC Super Hero Girls, and Justice League Action.

Maridueña, who is of Mexican, Cuban and Ecuadorian heritage, currently stars on Cobra Kai as Miguel Diaz, Daniel Russo’s (Ralph Macchio) first student. The Netflix original series is a continuation of the Karate Kid franchise and the fourth season will premiere this fall.

The film should start filming early next year, with John Rickard producing for HBO Max. Zev Foreman is executive-producing. No release date is set yet.