The Grammy winner will star alongside Edward Norton and Javier Bardem in a film inspired by an early 20th century revolutionary, directed by rapper Residente
Fresh off his victorious Super Bowl half-time show, Bad Bunny will take on his first lead acting role. The rapper and sometime actor will star in Porto Rico, a love letter to his home of Puerto Rico directed by the veteran rapper René “Residente” Pérez Joglar.
As announced by Deadline, the film boasts a starry 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 centering on the life of José Maldonado Román, a late 19th and early 20th century revolutionary. Known as Águila Blanca (White Eagle), Maldonado Román fought against Spanish colonizers on the island and led uprisings against the authorities.
In 1897, Maldonado Román participated in the Yauco Uprising as one of about 300 rebels who aimed to storm the barracks of the Spanish civil guard. It marked the first time that the modern Puerto Rican flag was publicly raised on the island. With a reputation as a bandit, he was imprisoned for his political actions multiple times between 1898 and 1909, yet his skill at escaping from jail led him to be known as a “magician”.
