Bad Bunny is making some serious moves in the film industry after inking a deal to star as El Muerto, the Spider-Man antihero, in an upcoming self-titled film. The motion picture, which is expected to be released in January 2024, will be the first time a Latino actor has headlined a live-action Marvel movie, which is quite an accomplishment for the 28-year-old La santa hitmaker.
Bad Bunny’s character, whose real name is Juan-Carlos Estrada Sanchez, is a wrestler who gains his superpowers by using a mask, which has been handed down to him through generations. Fans of the Spider-Man comics would be aware that Peter Parker and El Muerto once wrestled together, with the latter almost revealing Spider-Man’s identity before being stung with a paralyzing poison. The two later teamed up to fight El Dorado, a rival who tried claiming El Muerto’s life in the comic series, but it’s unclear whether Sony plans to welcome Spider-Man into this stand-alone flick.
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The news of Bad Bunny’s involvement was first shared at CinemaCon at The Forum in Caesars Palace on Monday, per Variety. “This opportunity to bring El Muerto to life, it’s amazing. It’s incredible,” he expressed. “I love wrestling, I grew up watching wrestling and now I’m a wrestler … I think it’s the perfect role for me. It will be epic, I’m sure.”
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Bad Bunny is currently gearing up for the release of his other film with Sony Pictures, titled Bullet Train, where he stars opposite Hollywood veteran Brad Pitt. He’s also made appearances in projects such as Narcos: Mexico and a cameo in 2021’s F9.
Back in November, the Puerto Rican native, whose real name is Benito Antonio Martínez Ocasio, talked about his love for acting in an interview on The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon. During their chat, Bad Bunny insisted that while acting is quite the contrast from his day-to-day job as a musician, there are still a lot of similarities as far as professionalism, work ethic, and respect are concerned.
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“It’s different but at the same time it’s the same, you know,” he commented. “You have to work hard, to be responsible, and respect [your] colleagues. I enjoy it. It’s something new for me but I like it and I enjoy it. I’m learning, I’m practicing. I keep practicing, you know.”
He also spoke about his brief stint getting to land a cameo in WrestleMania, recalling how obsessed he was about the wrestling sport as a child. “I’ve always been, since I was a kid, a wrestling fan,” he continued. “That was a dream come. I can’t believe it, still. After WrestleMania, I watched—the whole month, every night before I go to bed—it was the fight. … Every night, every night.