Nicolas Cage to play John Madden in sports drama from David O. Russell

From a satanic serial killer to an iconic football broadcaster, Nicolas Cage really can do it all. Deadline reports that Nicolas Cage is set to play John Madden in a sports drama, which will be written and directed by David O. Russell. Probably safe to say that George Clooney won’t be part of the cast.

“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,” said director David O. Russell 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.“

John Madden was the head coach of the Oakland Raiders from 1969 to 1978 and led the team to eight playoff appearances, seven division titles, seven AFL/AFC Championship Game appearances, and the Raiders’ first Super Bowl title. After announcing his retirement due to medical issues and burnout, he became a commentator on NFL games for thirty years. He also lent his name, voice, and creative input to the John Madden Football series from Electronic Arts. The series has become one of the biggest video game franchises of all time and has released annual installments since 1990.

Nicolas Cage may not seem like the most obvious choice to play John Madden, but as I said at the top of this article, he really can do it all. The actor is currently in production on Spider-Noir, a live-action Spider-Man series starring Cage as an “aging and down on his luck private investigator in 1930s New York who is forced to grapple with his past life as the city’s one and only superhero.” Cage can also be seen starring in Longlegs alongside Maika Monroe. The horror thriller from writer/director Osgood Perkins has been receiving rave reviews, with Cage’s performance in particular said to be something to behold. You can check out a review from our own Chris Bumbray right here.