The Puerto Rican rapper/actor/occasional wrestler Bad Bunny has been signed as the latest hero in the Marvel Cinematic Universe for the upcoming Sony Pictures (NYSE:SONY) release “El Muerto.”
What Happened: Variety reported the performer, whose real name is Benito Antonio Martínez Ocasio, will be the first Latino actor to have a starring role in a Marvel epic. Ocasio’s casting was announced at CinemaCon, the Las Vegas-based trade show for movie theater owners.
“To bring El Muerto to life is just incredible, so exciting,” said Ocasio during the announcement.
See Also: Disney Debuts Trailer For LGBTQ Rom-Com 'Fire Island'
Why It Matters: In the Marvel Comics, El Muerto is the super-powered masked wrestler from a long line of wrestlers. In one of the storylines, El Muerto got in the ring with Spider-Man.
Ocasio has made occasional appearances in the ring at WWE (NYSE:WWE) events, but his primary focus has been music – he's won multiple Grammy Awards and was twice named Spotify's (NYSE:SPOT) most streamed artist of the year. Headlining in a major film is a giant step forward for the performer, whose previous acting roles including supporting parts in the film “F9” and the Netflix (NASDAQ:NFLX) series “Narcos: Mexico.”
“El Muerto” is scheduled to have its theatrical release on Jan. 12, 2024.
Photo of Bad Bunny courtesy of Airbnb
