Angel Manuel Soto is to direct 'Blue Beetle'.

The 38-year-old filmmaker has been tapped to helm DC's first Latino superhero movie.

Blue Beetle first appeared in Fox Comics in 1939 and was created by Charles Wojtkowski. The character bounced around various comic publishers during the 20th century before landing at DC during the 1980s.

Soto's project will focus on the most recent incarnation of the superhero, who was introduced as Mexican-American teenage Jaime Reyes in 2006. His powers come from a scarab that binds to his spine and provides him with a powerful suit of blue alien armour that can also equip him with bespoke weapons and wings.

Gareth Dunnet-Alcocer – who penned a draft of Luca Guadagnino's upcoming 'Scarface' remake – is writing the script for the project, which is aiming to begin production in the autumn. Zev Foreman is executive producing for Warner Bros.

Soto has previously directed the 2015 movie 'La Granja', an indie flick about his life in his native Puerto Rico. He also helmed 'Charm City Kings' which claimed a special jury prize at the Sundance Film Festival last year.

He told TheWrap.com: "It is an honour to direct 'Blue Beetle', the first Latino superhero film for DC.

"I want to sincerely thank everyone at Warner Bros. and DC for trusting me to bring Jaime Reyes to life. I can't wait to make history together."