Nicolas Cage set to portray John Madden in new biopic from David O. Russell

Nicolas Cage will portray legendary NFL coach and sports commentator John Madden in director David O. Russell’s upcoming biographical drama “Madden.”

Per Deadline, the Amazon MGM Studios drama will detail the path that took John Madden from Super Bowl-winning Oakland Raiders head coach to the brand behind Madden NFL, becoming he greatest football broadcasters in the NFL.   Additional casting for “Madden” will be announced at a later date, according to the studio.

Russell said in a statement: “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. 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 died in 2021 at the age of 85; he became a mainstay of television football coverage after spending three decades as a color commentator upon his retirement from coaching in 1979. Madden also became 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.

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