Residente Details Porto Rico Pre-Production in Deadline Interview — Principal Photography Expected Late 2026 in Puerto Rico

In a May 2026 interview published by Deadline, director Residente (René Pérez Joglar) gave the most detailed public account yet of pre-production on *Porto Rico* — the epic Caribbean western in which Bad Bunny will make his first feature film lead role debut. Speaking to Deadline's Rebecca Ford three months after the February 18 announcement, Residente discussed the film's extensive historical research process: the screenplay, co-written with *Birdman* Oscar-winner Alexander Dinelaris, follows Puerto Rican revolutionary José Maldonado Román ("Aguila Blanca") resisting Spanish colonial rule in the late 19th century. Residente described Bad Bunny's preparation as uniquely suited to the role — "Benito is not acting, he is remembering" — noting that the character's defiance of empire mirrors Bad Bunny's own cultural stance. The film, executive produced by Alejandro González Iñárritu (*Birdman*, *The Revenant*, *Babel*), reunites two Puerto Rican icons who first collaborated on the 2019 protest anthem "Afilando los Cuchillos" during the Ricky Rosselló resignation crisis; now they are centering Puerto Rican colonial history in a global prestige production. Principal photography is expected to begin in late 2026, primarily on location in Puerto Rico. Co-stars Viggo Mortensen, Edward Norton, and Javier Bardem play Spanish colonial-era antagonists opposite Bad Bunny's liberator figure. Residente told Deadline that Iñárritu's involvement shaped the scope of the project from an early stage: "When Alejandro said yes, I understood this could be something the world would feel." The interview arrives as Bad Bunny prepares for the European stadium leg of the Debí Tirar Más Fotos World Tour, opening in Barcelona on May 22.