David O. Russell, writer and director of Madden, has set Nicolas Cage to star in the Amazon MGM Studios film following the path of John Madden from the coach who led the Oakland Raiders to a Super Bowl victory to building Madden NFL. “Nicolas Cage, one of our greatest and most original actors, will portray the best of the American spirit of originality, fun, and determination in which anything is possible as beloved national legend John Madden,” said O. Russell according to Deadline. “Together with the ferocious style, focus, and inspired individualism of Al Davis, owner of the underdog Oakland Raiders, the feature will be about the joy, humanity and genius that was John Madden in a wildly inventive, cool world of the 1970s.”
Madden himself died in late 2021, but not before building an NFL multiplayer game out of a start-up gaming company Electronic Arts after his career coaching for the NFL ended. The popular game still holds his name and is currently in its 25th iteration.
Cage might not immediately seem like the right choice to play the football legend, but the Oscar-winning actor has proven his skill in a variety of roles before. Most recently he starred in the horror hit Longlegs. He has proven his ability to take on characters, but Madden will be a test of that skill.
Leave a Comment