John Madden to be portrayed by Oscar-winning actor in new film

One veteran actor is set to play John Madden.

Borys Kit of The Hollywood Reporter reported on Thursday that Nicolas Cage is set to portray the late football icon in the new film “Madden.” The film, which will be directed by David O. Russell and produced by Amazon MGM Studios, is set to be a unique drama. It will be part-biopic and part-origin story of the popular “Madden” video game.

Madden, the former Super Bowl-winning head coach for the then-Oakland Raiders who later became a legendary NFL commentator, died in late December 2021 at the age of 85. Among his many claims to fame was serving as the namesake of the “Madden NFL” video game series from its inception in 1988 (the game was originally known as “John Madden Football”).

As for Cage, who has been acting for over four decades now, he remains one of the most well-known stars in Hollywood, even at 60 years old. Cage has maintained a cult following over the years and continues to turn in quality performances (recently being nominated for a 2024 Golden Globe for Best Actor on the strength of his performance in the film “Dream Scenario”). He has also been nominated for two Academy Awards, winning one of them.