Nicolas Cage has officially been cast as late NFL coach, sports commentator, and video game pioneer John Madden in an upcoming biopic directed by David O. Russell.
The script for Madden was written by Russell, who worked off an earlier version from Cambron Clark. It will focus on Madden’s post-coaching career, during which he transcended football as the co-creator of EA Sports’ groundbreaking Madden NFL video game series, which launched in 1988.
The movie comes from Prime Sports Original feature film, with Todd Black (Southpaw) producing alongside Russell and Matthew Budman. Jason Blumenthal, Steve Tisch, and Jonathan Shukat will also produce for Escape Artists.
“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,” 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.”
News of Cage’s casting comes after Will Ferrell was reported to be the frontrunner last year. Hugh Jackson was also a top candidate for the role.