Bad Bunny to lead all-star "epic" historical drama Porto Rico opposite Oscar winner

Just a few weeks on from his groundbreaking performance at the Super Bowl, it's been announced that Puerto Rican megastar Bad Bunny is set to lead the cast of a brand new film titled Porto Rico.

The historical epic is billed as a love letter to Puerto Rico and is helmed by René "Residente" Pérez Joglar, himself a multiple Grammy Award-winning musician, in his feature directorial debut. As first reported by Deadline, Joglar wrote the script alongside Oscar-winning screenwriter Alexander Dinelaris (Birdman).

Bad Bunny – who will be credited under his full name Benito Martínez Ocasio – is expected to star as José Maldonado Román, a Puerto Rican revolutionary commonly known as Águila Blanca (White Eagle).

Roman lived between 1874 and 1932, and it was previously announced that the film would document his life, including how he led a gang of ex-convicts in an anti-colonial struggle while fighting to build the island's national identity.

The film has been described as "inspired by true events" so it's not clear if it will stick entirely to real history or reimagine the events in a slightly fictionalised form, but Residente has described the project as "a reaffirmation of who we are — told with the intensity and honesty that our history deserves."

"I have dreamed of making a film about my country since I was a child," he said, adding that "Puerto Rico’s true history has always been surrounded by controversy."

While this will be Ocasio's first leading role, he's already built up a solid resume of big screen credits, appearing in the supporting cast of major films such as Bullet Train, Cassandro and Caught Stealing, in addition to a recurring role on Netflix TV series Narcos: Mexico.

He's joined in Porto Rico by a cast that includes plenty of A-list talent, with roles for Edward Norton, Viggo Mortensen and Javier Bardem, though details on their roles has not been disclosed at this stage.

Meanwhile, Mexican auteur Alejandro G Iñárritu, who has won Oscars for his work on Birdman and The Revenant, serves as an executive producer.

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