Bad Bunny to star in movie about Puerto Rico
Sign up now: Get ST's newsletters delivered to your inbox
Puerto Rican singer Bad Bunny performs at his Debi Tirar Mas Fotos World Tour concert in Buenos Aires, Argentina, on Feb 13.
PHOTO: REUTERS
LOS ANGELES – Fresh from his success at the Grammys and a triumphant Super Bowl half-time show, Puerto Rican megastar Bad Bunny is set to take the lead role in an all-star film, producers announced on Feb 18.
Porto Rico, which will be directed by Grammy-winning rapper Rene Perez Joglar – known as Residente – is described as a cross between a Caribbean western and a historical drama about the island both men call home.
It will also feature stars such as Viggo Mortensen, Javier Bardem and Edward Norton, and will be produced by Academy Award winner Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu.
Porto Rico tells the story of Jose Maldonado Roman, known as Aguila Blanca (White Eagle), a revolutionary who fought against colonialism in the late 19th century.
“I have dreamt of making a film about my country since I was a child,” said Perez Joglar. “Puerto Rico’s true history has always been surrounded by controversy. This film is a reaffirmation of who we are – told with the intensity and honesty that our history deserves.”
The film fuses “historical scope with a visceral, lyrical approach and a gripping narrative inspired by true events”, a statement added.
The rapper and founder of alternative hip-hop band Calle 13 posted a carousel of historical photos and thanked the team accompanying him on the film project, which will centre on Bad Bunny.
The 31-year-old reggaeton artist is on an unstoppable streak. At the beginning of February, he won three Grammys
A week later, he delivered his Super Bowl half-time show, the most-watched musical performance in the world with more than 120 million viewers, in which he celebrated the rhythms, colours, flavours and traditions of Puerto Rico.
While many people acclaimed the joyous performance, United States President Donald Trump griped that he could not understand what was being said
The performer, whose real name is Benito Antonio Martinez Ocasio, had already ventured into film with minor roles in movies like Bullet Train (2022), alongside Brad Pitt, and Caught Stealing (2025), with Austin Butler.
But Porto Rico will mark another milestone in the career of one of the most popular performers on the planet.
Residente, also an actor and producer, said he had been looking for someone to lead his directorial debut who “feels Puerto Rico as deeply as I do and who is as proud as I am when they sing our true anthem”.
Norton, who also produces, highlighted the potential of the Residente-Bad Bunny duo.
“Everybody knows what a poet of language and rhythm Rene is. Now, they’re going to see what a visual visionary he is as well,” said Norton, who recently appeared in Olivia Wilde’s The Invite (2026), which premiered at the Sundance Film Festival.
“Bringing him and Bad Bunny together to tell the true story of Puerto Rico’s roots is going to be like a flame finding the stick of dynamite that’s been waiting for it.” AFP
