Bad Bunny Lands First Leading Role In "Epic" Historical Drama

Bad Bunny has landed his first-ever leading role in a film. The singer-songwriter will reportedly play Puerto Rican revolutionary José Maldonado Román in Porto Rico, the debut feature from Grammy-winning musician René "Residente” Pérez Joglar.

According to Deadline, the film will be "an epic Caribbean western and historical drama", described as a love letter to the director's homeland of Puerto Rico. Bad Bunny will lead the cast (credited under his real name Benito Martínez Ocasio), with Viggo Mortensen, Javier Bardem, and Edward Norton also attached to the project.

'Porto Rico' Tells The Story of José Maldonado Román

José Maldonado Román was a real-life Puerto Rican leader who became known as Águila Blanca (White Eagle) due to his efforts to vindicate the Caribbean island from colonialists in the nineteenth century.

Deadline reports that Porto Rico will "blend historical scope with a visceral, lyrical approach and a gripping narrative inspired by true events," though no official synopsis has been given yet.

Puerto Rico was colonised by Spain in 1493 shortly after the discovery of the New World, and remained under Spanish control until it was ceded to the United States following the Spanish-American War in 1898. Its citizens were officially granted U.S. citizenship in 1917. José Maldonado Román was a crucial figure in fighting Spanish colonialism during the war with America.

The announcement comes just weeks after Bad Bunny's groundbreaking haltime performance at Super Bowl LX, which introduced the artist to an enormous new audience in the United States. The show was watched by 128.2 million viewers, and according to Expedia, has increased flight searches to Puerto Rico by 245% compared to last year.

Although Porto Rico will mark Ocasio's first lead role, it won't be his first time acting in a film. He's already begun to make the transition from music to acting, with supporting roles in Happy Gilmore 2, Bullet Train, and Caught Stealing.