Bad Bunny set for first lead acting role in historical drama Porto Rico | Bad Bunny
Fresh off his Super Bowl halftime show, Bad Bunny will be making his first headlining appearance. The rapper and sometime actor will star in Puerto Rico, a love letter to his home in Puerto Rico, directed by veteran rapper René “Residente” Pérez Joglar.
As announced by DeadlineThe film features an all-star cast, including Viggo Mortensen, Javier Bardem and Edward Norton, as well as executive producer Alejandro G Iñárritu, director of Birdman and The Revenant.
The project has been in the works since 2023, when it was announced as a historical drama about the life of revolutionary José Maldonado Román in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. known as Águila Blanca (White Eagle), Maldonado Román fought against the Spanish colonists on the island, leading to revolts against the authorities.
In 1897, Maldonado Román participated in the Yauco Uprising as one of approximately 300 rebels who aimed to attack the barracks of the Spanish civil guard. This was the first time the modern Puerto Rican flag was publicly raised on the island. He became notorious as a bandit and was imprisoned several times for his political activities between 1898 and 1909, but his ability to escape from prison led to him being referred to as a “magician”.
Following the film’s initial announcement in 2023, a press release promised that the production would “blend historical scope with a visceral, lyrical approach and a gripping narrative inspired by true events.”
“I’ve been dreaming of making a movie about my country since I was a child. The true history of Puerto Rico has always been surrounded by controversy,” Residente told Deadline. “This film is a reaffirmation of who we are by telling our history with the intensity and honesty it deserves.”
Bad Bunny has appeared in multiple supporting roles over the past decade, but Puerto Rico is embarking on his biggest film project to date. In 2022, he starred in the action thriller Bullet Train, playing a gang leader who faces off against Brad Pitt in a bloody knife fight. Last year, he appeared in Darren Aronofsky’s Caught Stealing as (another) gang leader who threatens to shoot Austin Butler.
“This film sits in a tradition of films we deeply love, from The Godfather to Gangs of New York, both thrilling us with heartfelt drama, iconic characters and eras, and challenging us to confront the shadow story beneath the narrative of American idealism,” Norton said. “Everyone knows what a poet of language and rhythm René is. Now they will see what a visionary he is as well. Bringing him and Bad Bunny together to tell the true story of Puerto Rico’s roots will be like a flame finding a stick of dynamite waiting for it.”
Bad Bunny’s Super Bowl halftime show attracted 128.2 million viewers on February 8 and broke social media viewing records, with more than 4 billion people watching clips of the performance on social media. In the Guardian’s review, Stefanie Fernández described the show as “a dazzling reminder of the many pantheons of Puerto Rican legends… Benito succeeded and never let history forget.”
