Nicolas Cage to Play John Madden in Biopic About ‘Madden’ Video Game Creation

Three years ago, the NFL world lost a giant when John Madden passed away at the age of 85. The legendary coach and broadcaster was one of the most recognizable figures in the sport, and his legacy endures through the popular video game franchise that bears his name. The latest installment, Madden ’25, is set for release on Friday.

John Madden’s life is truly fascinating, and he will soon be the focus of a new biopic directed by David O. Russell. Taking on the role of Madden will be none other than Nicolas Cage.

“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 the beloved national legend John Madden,” said Russell in a statement via The Hollywood Reporter. “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.”

It’s difficult to come up with a more intriguing sentence than “Nic Cage is going to play John Madden in a movie.” While it is hard to imagine exactly how this will play out, there’s no doubt that Cage will bring his unique energy to the role. The film will reportedly focus on the origins of the video game franchise rather than Madden’s coaching or broadcasting career, according to The Hollywood Reporter.

However, this won’t be a typical biopic of the man nor a sports drama, a genre that Russell has previously explored with the boxing movie The Fighter. Instead, Madden is partly considered a video game movie. It’s the origin story of Madden NFL, one of the biggest video game franchises of all time.

We’ll see how this narrative adapts to the big screen, but the Madden franchise has undoubtedly revolutionized the sports video game marketplace. This makes it an intriguing subject for the film to explore.

Source: The Hollywood Reporter