Bad Bunny Leads Residente's Porto Rico as Cameras Roll
Cameras are rolling in the Dominican Republic on Porto Rico, with Bad Bunny leading an ensemble that has just grown by 11 names, Deadline reported on 17 September 2026.
The film is the feature screenwriting and directing debut for René “Residente” Pérez Joglar. It is led by Benito “Bad Bunny” Martínez Ocasio alongside Viggo Mortensen and Edward Norton.
Production is under way with a much wider cast now confirmed. New additions are Richard Gadd, Rhenzy Feliz, Ismael Cruz Córdova, Daniel Brühl, Rubén Blades, Alberto Guerra, Marcel Ruiz, Arian Cartaya, Óscar Jaenada, Carmen Machi and Luis Tosar.
There is also one departure. Javier Bardem, whose casting was announced in February, has exited the project.
The story centres on Puerto Rican revolutionary José Maldonado Román, known as Águila Blanca, in the late 19th century. It covers the 1898 transfer of Puerto Rico from Spain to the United States, after which the island was renamed Porto Rico.
The screenplay is by Alexander Dinelaris and Residente, Deadline reported. The trade described the project as a historical epic, a large-scale drama based on real events.
Norton and Mortensen, both fluent in Spanish, are playing roles connected to their country of origin. Sales are being handled by UTA Independent Film Group, the agency team that shops the film to distributors territory by territory.
What makes this stand out is the mix of backgrounds now organised around one history. A music star headlines. Veteran film actors, television faces and Spanish-language legends fill out the ranks. And behind the camera is a first-time director telling a story tied closely to his own home.
