Actor In 'Madden' Movie Has Reportedly Quit

Production for the "Madden" film, chronicling the life of legendary NFL head coach and broadcaster John Madden, has apparently hit a snag after an actor quit the film.

According to TMZ via Yahoo Entertainment, an unnamed actor working on the film (presumably not Nicolas Cage or Christian Bale) has quit over an issue with director David O. Russell. Per the report, Russell used a slur while working with the actor on a monologue, which upset the actor and some others.

"Crew and cast members told us that on Friday, Russell was working with the unnamed actor on an impromptu monologue when the director allegedly said the N-word... and that upset the actor, along with others, who allegedly walked off set before they broke for lunch, and subsequently wrapped for the day," the outlet reported.

However, there is some dispute over the veracity of the claim. TMZ cited other sources that said it was the actor's idea to include the slur in the first place

"Studio sources tell TMZ... It was actually the actor's idea to include the N-word in the scene after a private creative conversation with the director ... but ultimately the word was not used when they shot the scene. The sources stand firm -- David did not say the word while shooting the scene -- but declined to speculate what upset the actor and others in the moment."