Nicolas Cage is set to play NFL legend John Madden in a biopic written, directed and produced by David O. Russell, with Amazon MGM distributing the film.
“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,” O. Russell said 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.”
From 1969 to 1978, Madden coached the Oakland Raiders to the most successful period in its history, including seven division titles and a victory in Super Bowl XI at the Rose Bowl in 1977. With 103 wins and zero losing seasons, he remains the winningest coach in Raiders history to this day.
But his legacy only got bigger after his coaching retirement, becoming a legendary broadcaster who demystified the finer details of football strategy for millions of fans while lending his name, voice and expertise to EA Sports’ bestselling Madden video game series, which bears his name to this day.
Escape Artists’ Jason Blumenthal, Steve Tisch, and Jonathan Shukat will produce alongside David O. Russell and Matthew Budman. Escape Artists’ David Bloomfield will executive produce. Further casting will be announced at a later date.
The project was first reported by Deadline.
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