Residente Starts Filming Directorial Debut ‘Porto Rico’ Starring Bad Bunny

Residente began shooting his first movie, Porto Rico, on Aug. 31. Bad Bunny takes the lead in his first starring role. The Calle 13 co-founder shared an Instagram Story with a production slate, according to Consequence Sound. It listed his real name, René Pérez Joglar, as director and Anthony Dod Mantle as cinematographer.

The movie is a Caribbean Western and historical drama centered on Puerto Rico. Viggo Mortensen, Edward Norton, and Javier Bardem will join the cast, with Alejandro G. Iñárritu serving as executive producer.

René Pérez co-wrote the screenplay with Alexander Dinelaris, the Oscar-winning writer behind Birdman. Pérez has 34 Latin GRAMMY awards. Anthony Dod Mantle handles cinematography for the production. He received an Oscar for Slumdog Millionaire and also shot Snowden.

"It just makes total sense for him to be this character," Residente told Deadline about casting Bad Bunny. "It feels perfect." The Puerto Rican artist first wanted a small part before becoming the lead. Edward Norton described Residente as a poet of language who would now reveal himself as a visual visionary, saying that bringing him together with Bad Bunny to tell the story of Puerto Rico's roots would be like a flame finding the cartridge of dynamite that was waiting for it.

Bad Bunny finished his DeBÍ TiRAR MáS FOToS World Tour with two sold-out shows in San Juan on Aug. 22 and 23. The production moved to the Dominican Republic due to infrastructure needs and limitations tied to tax credits in Puerto Rico. 

René Pérez and Erick Douât produce through 1868 Studios, a company created through a multi-year partnership between Residente, Sony Music Latin-Iberia, and Sony Music Vision. Norton and Bill Migliore produce for Class 5 Films alongside Michael Bederman.