Puerto Rican superstar Bad Bunny is set to make his debut as a leading actor in the historical drama ‘Porto Rico’, following memorable appearances in ‘Bullet Train’ alongside Brad Pitt and Darren Aronofsky’s ‘Caught Stealing’.
The film marks the feature directorial debut of René Pérez Joglar, the Grammy-winning rapper also known as Residente. Co-starring Edward Norton, Javier Bardem and Viggo Mortensen, the movie has been described as an “epic Caribbean western” that tells a gripping story inspired by the true origins of Puerto Rico. Details about the official plot have yet to be revealed.
Pérez Joglar co-wrote the screenplay with Alexander Dinelaris, the Oscar-winning writer behind ‘Birdman’ and ‘The Revenant’. Alejandro González Iñárritu, who directed both films, is executive producing Porto Rico.
Pérez Joglar commented, “I have dreamed of making a film about my country since I was a child. 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 project will be produced by Pérez Joglar and Erick Douât through 1868 Studios, a joint venture with Sony Music Latin-Iberia and Sony Music Vision, aimed at developing culturally authentic content.
Norton and Bill Migliore, together with Michael Bederman, will produce via Class 5 Films, whose previous work includes ‘The Painted Veil’, ‘Motherless Brooklyn’ and the documentary ‘By the People: The Election of Barack Obama’.
“This film continues the tradition of films we deeply admire, from ‘The Godfather’ to ‘Gangs of New York’, which both thrill audiences and reveal the hidden stories behind celebrated histories,” said Norton. “René is a poet of language and rhythm and now the world will see him as a visual storyteller. Pairing him with Bad Bunny to share the true story of Puerto Rico’s roots is like a spark meeting dynamite.”
February has been a busy month for Bad Bunny. He headlined the Super Bowl Halftime Show, celebrating Puerto Rican culture alongside Lady Gaga and Ricky Martin, with an average audience of 128.2 million viewers according to Nielsen.
Earlier in the month, he made history at the Grammys as the first Spanish-language artist to win Album of the Year for ‘Debí Tirar Más Fotos’.
