Bad Bunny stars in the historical drama “Porto Rico,” marking his first leading role in a film following memorable appearances in “The Train,” co-starring Brad Pitt, and “Caught Stealing,” directed by Darren Aronofsky.
Rene Pérez Jogler, the Grammy-winning Puerto Rican rapper known as Residente, is directing his feature debut, Porto Rico. The film, which co-stars Edward Norton, Javier Bardem and Viggo Mortensen, is described as an “epic Caribbean Western” and “a moving story inspired by true events” about the origins of Puerto Rico. No official logline has been revealed.
Perez Jogler co-wrote the film with Alexander Dinelaris, the Oscar-winning screenwriter of Birdman and The Revenant. Alejandro Gonzalez Iñárritu, the influential director of Birdman and The Revenant, is the executive producer of Porto Rico.
“Ever since I was a child, I dreamed of making a film about my country. The true history of Puerto Rico has always been surrounded by controversy,” said director Pérez Jogler. “This film reaffirms who we are and tells our history with the intensity and honesty it deserves.”
“Porto Rico” will be produced by Pérez Joglar and Eric Dua through 1868 Studio, a joint venture formed by Pérez Joglar, Sony Music Latin Iberia and Sony Music Vision to develop, produce and distribute original content centered on “authentic, culturally-based storytelling.”
Norton and Bill Migliore will serve as producers on the Class 5 film, along with Michael Biederman. The company has produced feature films and documentaries such as “The Painted Veil,” “Motherless Brooklyn” and “By the People: The Election of Barack Obama.”
“This film sits in the tradition of films we deeply love, from ‘The Godfather’ to ‘Gangs of New York,’ both of which thrill us with visceral drama and iconic characters and eras, while also forcing us to confront the shadow stories beneath the narrative of American idealism,” Norton said. “Everyone knows Resnais is a poet of language and rhythm, and now they’ll realize he’s also a visual visionary. And bringing him and Bad Bunny together to tell the true story of Puerto Rican roots will be like a flame finding a long-awaited stick of dynamite.”
“Porto Rico” is sponsored by Live Nation Studios, Class 5 Film, and strategic partners including the Kwanza Jones & Jose E. Feliciano Initiative, Mike & Sookie Novogratz, and Noah Assad. UTA Independent Film Group is handling sales.
It was a busy February for Bad Bunny, who headlined the Super Bowl Halftime Show, a fun celebration of Puerto Rican culture starring Lady Gaga and Ricky Martin. His performance averaged 128.2 million viewers, ranking among the top halftime performances, according to Nielsen. Earlier this month, Bad Bunny made Grammy history as the first Spanish-language artist to win Album of the Year for his album “Debi Tilal Mas Fotos.”
