After months, if not years of development, David O. Russell’s Madden looks to be nearing the end zone.
Nicolas Cage is set to portray John Madden, the storied football coach and sports commentator, in a drama from Amazon MGM Studios to be directed by Russell, the filmmaker behind Silver Linings Playbook and American Hustle.
But this is not a biopic of the man in the typical way, nor a sports drama, a genre Russell took on with boxing movie The Fighter. Rather, Madden is in part, according to sources, a video game movie. It’s the origin story of Madden NFL, one of the biggest video game franchises of all time.
The feature hails from Prime Sports Original feature film produced by Todd Black. Also producing are Escape Artists’ Jason Blumenthal, Steve Tisch and Jonathan Shukat alongside Russell and Matthew Budman. Escape Artist is currently in prep on a live-action adaptation of Masters of the Universe for Amazon.
Madden was the head coach of the Oakland Raiders in the 1970s, with an enviable winning streak. He parlayed that into a three-decade-long career as a color commentator, becoming part of the American pop culture landscape with his entertaining style. He won 16 Sports Emmy Awards along the way.
In the 1980s, he began conversations with Electronic Arts to create what would become Madden NFL, the game series that launched in 1988 and continues to present day. For many, in fact, the man is more synonymous with the game than broadcasting or coaching.
Russell wrote the script, working off an earlier version by Cambron Clark.
“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 Russell in a statement. “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.”
Cage’s casting comes as Russell spent months navigating scheduling and star power in order to get the project going. Hugh Jackman was one actor was circling the project on and off last year.
Cage is one of Hollywood’s great gonzo actors who has navigated big studio movies (and their paydays), award-winning dramas (earning two Oscars), schlocky low-budget straight-to-home entertainment, and cult classic horror movies. He can currently be seen in Neon’s critical and box office sensation Longlegs as the title character.
He is repped by WME and Goodman Genow.