Nicolas Cage to play NFL legend John Madden in new biopic from David O. Russell

nme.com:

Nicolas Cage is set to play NFL legend John Madden in David O. Russell’s upcoming biographical drama Madden.Madden, who died in 2021 at the age of 85, was the iconic head coach of the Oakland Raiders in the 1970s, leading the team to numerous championship games and its first Super Bowl victory.He went on become a mainstay of television football coverage, spending three decades as a commentator after retiring from coaching in 1979.

He’s also the namesake of the popular video game franchise, Madden NFL, and continued to provide creative input for the series after his retirement as a broadcaster in 2009.“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,” Russell said in a statement (via Variety)“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.”The upcoming film will be written, directed and produced by Russell.

The filmmaker was reportedly considering Will Ferrell and Hugh Jackman to star before Cage was cast.Additional casting for Madden will be announced at a later date, according to the studio.Oscar-winner Cage can currently be seen in the box office hit Longlegs, which has grossed nearly $100 million globally to date.