Bad Bunny is set to take on his first-ever leading role in an upcoming superhero film.
The 28-year-old is set to take on the role of El Muerto in Sony Pictures’ standalone movie of the same name.
via People:
Sony Pictures Motion Picture Group President Sanford Panitch announced the news at the convention in Las Vegas, saying of the “Lo Siento BB:/”hitmaker, “Sometimes we get lucky with the perfect casting, and I think that’s what we’ve got here,” according to Entertainment Tonight.
Bad Bunny (real name: Benito Antonio Martínez Ocasio) reportedly told the crowd he “love(s)” the character of El Muerto, a wrestler and villain in the Spider-Man universe, in part because he is a professional wrestler himself.
“I think it’s the perfect role, to me. It will be epic,” he said, according ET, adding per Variety, “To bring El Muerto to life is just incredible … so exciting.”
According to an official character biography, El Muerto (a.k.a. Juan-Carlos Estrada Sanchez) is a “super powered wrestler” from Mexico, with a mask and powers that “have been passed down generation to generation,” in the Marvel comics.
“Each wrestler had to prove themselves to their oppressor, El Dorado, so that they could remain alive and keep their powers,” the biography says. “When Marcus Estrada presented his son Juan Carlos to El Dorado, Juan Carlos cowered in terror, unwilling to fight him. Marcus Estrada sacrificed his life to try and save Juan Carlos. Out of respect for his father’s courage, El Dorado granted Juan Carlos ten years to travel and to become brave, and then to duel a masked wrestler and unmask him.”
Eventually, Juan Carlos fought Spider-Man at a charity event, which The Daily Bugle’s J. Jonah Jameson organized in the hopes that Juan Carlos/El Muerto would unmask the webslinger. However, “Reflexively, Spider-Man stabbed El Muerto with his stingers, injecting him with a paralyzing poison.”
“Spider-Man rescued El Muerto in the hospital when el Dorado came to claim his life. El Muerto came to and aided Spider-Man in defeating el Dorado. El Dorado still managed to escape before they managed to defeat him,” the biography concludes.
Bad Bunny is in for a busy 2022, as his casting comes on the heels of his El Último Tour Del Mundo that wrapped earlier this month and ahead of his upcoming 29-date stadium tour this summer across the United States and Latin America.
Kicking off Aug. 5 in Orlando, Florida, and running through December, Bad Bunny: World’s Hottest Tour will feature appearances from Diplo and DJ Alesso on select dates.
“Now yes, 2022 has started,” Bad Bunny captioned his January announcement video, in which he also revealed he’s working on her music.
Sony Pictures revealed Monday night that El Muerto is scheduled to premiere in theaters on Jan. 12, 2024.
