John Madden may be known more for his video games and commentating these days, but the former Raiders coach led his Oakland team to an impressive winning percentage in the 70s and became the youngest coach to reach 100 career regular-season victories and a Super Bowl win. Deadline is now reporting that David O. Russell is helming a project about the man’s post-coaching career as he headlined one of the most revolutionary sports video games in history.
It is reported that Will Ferrell is in talks to play the prolific sports figure in Madden, which is set to be produced by Amazon/MGM studios with David O. Russell in the director’s chair. The project detailed by Deadline is said to be “based on a script by Cambron Clark, which was named to The Black List last year, Madden picks up with the legendarily fiery coach after his exit from the NFL, as he teams with Electronic Arts to become the unlikely co-creator of a pioneering video game franchise.”
The John Madden Football franchise went through many changes on many video game platforms through the decades. It has been playable on almost every mainstream console since the 80s and is considered the gold standard in football simulation with its gameplay, graphics and many, many business details of the NFL. The project will be coming from Escape Artists and is set to be produced for the studio by Todd Black.
Ferrell can be seen in a couple of upcoming comedies this summer. His voice will be featured in a rated-R version of a talking dog movie called Strays which co-stars Jamie Foxx, and he will also be seen in a supporting role in the Greta Gerwig big-screen adaptation of Barbie. Ferrell rarely ventures into dramatic territory, but when he does, it’s to great acclaim with movies like Everything Must Go and Stranger Than Fiction. With the project being headed up by David O. Russell, it’s likely the film will sport equal comedic and dramatic elements. Russell recently directed an all-star cast that included Christian Bale, John David Washington and Margot Robbie in Amsterdam. The film was not well received and flopped at the box office. However, Russell’s sports-themed films — The Fighter and Silver Linings Playbook — have both attracted positive attention from both critics and audiences alike.