Porto Rico Lands Bad Bunny, Edward Norton, Javier Bardem, and Viggo Mortensen for Residente’s Directorial Debut

Bad Bunny is not easing off the gas. Fresh off one of the most-watched Super Bowl halftime shows ever, Benito 'Bad Bunny' Martínez Ocasio is jumping into his first lead role with Porto Rico, a historical epic that also happens to be the feature directing debut of rapper René 'Residente' Pérez Joglar. The talent lineup is loud: Edward Norton, Viggo Mortensen, and Javier Bardem are all in.

What Porto Rico is aiming for

The film is set in late-19th-century Puerto Rico and centers on José Maldonado Román, the revolutionary folk figure known as Águila Blanca (White Eagle). He battled colonial rule and, yes, led a crew of ex-convicts while Puerto Rico fought to define itself as a country. Expect a sweeping, period-scale story with a raw, lyrical edge, drawn from true events. The working logline could shift a bit as the cameras get closer.

Who is making it

Residente is calling the shots and co-wrote the script with Oscar winner Alexander Dinelaris (Birdman). The film is positioned as a big-screen salute to Puerto Rico and its history, told with some fire behind it.

'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,' Residente said.

The cast (and why that matters)

• Benito 'Bad Bunny' Martínez Ocasio in his first leading role
• Edward Norton (Fight Club; Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery; American History X)
• Viggo Mortensen (Eastern Promises; The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King; Captain Fantastic)
• Javier Bardem (No Country for Old Men; Dune: Part Two; The Little Mermaid)

Norton and Mortensen both speak Spanish, which should go a long way in a project this rooted in Puerto Rican history and identity.

'This film sits in a tradition of films we deeply love, from The Godfather to Gangs of New York, that both thrill us with visceral drama and iconic characters and eras while also forcing us to face up to the shadow story under the American narrative of idealism,' Norton said. 'Everybody knows what a poet of language and rhythm René is. Now they're going to see what a visual visionary he is as well. And 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.'

Bottom line

A revolutionary folk hero, a musician-turned-filmmaker swinging for the fences, an Oscar-winning co-writer, and a trio of heavyweights backing Bad Bunny in his first lead — that is a potent mix. If Porto Rico sticks the landing, we could be looking at a muscular, crowd-pleasing historical drama with some bite.