Residente Wraps Bad Bunny’s Porto Rico Movie After 55 Days in DR

Filming has wrapped in the Dominican Republic on Porto Rico, the first feature-length fiction film directed by Puerto Rican musician René Pérez Joglar, known as Residente. The production completed 55 days of shooting, with Bad Bunny in the lead role and an international ensemble bringing the island’s history to the screen.

Residente announced the end of filming on November 5, sharing an image of the production clapperboard with the words “It’s a wrap.” The final day marked the completion of a project he has described as one of the most ambitious and challenging undertakings of his career.

A major international production filmed in the Dominican Republic

Although the story is rooted in Puerto Rican history, the production took place in the Dominican Republic. Cameras began rolling in the country in late August, and the project brought together an extensive cast and crew for nearly two months of filming.

The decision to shoot outside Puerto Rico followed disagreements involving the tax incentives available for audiovisual productions on the island. Residente had publicly expressed frustration with the circumstances that prevented the film from being made in his homeland and thanked the Dominican Republic for welcoming the production.

The project adds to the country’s role as a location for international film productions. The Dominican Republic has developed an audiovisual industry supported by dedicated production infrastructure and incentives intended to attract local and foreign projects.

Bad Bunny leads a cast of internationally recognized actors

Bad Bunny, whose real name is Benito Antonio Martínez Ocasio, leads the film in his first starring role in a feature-length production. He previously appeared in films including Bullet Train and Happy Gilmore 2.

The cast also includes Academy Award-winning actors Javier Bardem, Viggo Mortensen and Edward Norton, alongside performers such as Rubén Blades, Daniel Brühl, Richard Gadd, Ismael Cruz Córdova, Rhenzy Feliz, Alberto Guerra, Marcel Ruiz, Óscar Jaenada, Carmen Machi and Luis Tosar.

Residente co-wrote the screenplay with Alexander Dinelaris, the Academy Award-winning screenwriter known for his work on Birdman. Mexican filmmaker Alejandro González Iñárritu is among the executive producers, while cinematography is led by Anthony Dod Mantle, whose credits include Slumdog Millionaire and Snowden.

A historical drama centered on Puerto Rico’s colonial past

Porto Rico draws on real events from the island’s history and centers on José Maldonado Román, the 19th-century revolutionary known as Águila Blanca. The character was associated with resistance to Spanish colonial rule, making the film’s subject closely connected to Puerto Rico’s political and cultural identity.

Residente has described the project as a personal ambition dating back to his childhood. He has said he wanted to make a film about his homeland and present a perspective on its history, which he considers frequently contested and interpreted in different ways.

The filmmaker has characterized the production as a Caribbean western, combining a historical narrative with a broader exploration of Puerto Rican identity. Its Spanish-language approach and international cast are intended to bring that story to audiences beyond the Caribbean.

Release date has not been announced

With principal photography completed, the film moves toward the next stages of production. However, its producers have not announced an official release date or provided a public timeline for its premiere.

For the Dominican Republic, the completion of the shoot represents another high-profile international project filmed on its territory. While the story belongs to Puerto Rico, the country provided the setting for the production and hosted the cast and crew throughout the 55-day schedule.