On Thursday, Amazon MGM Studios announced that Nicolas Cage will portray the late football legend John Madden in an upcoming film directed and co-written by David O.
In context: Nicolas Cage recently played the most challenging role of his career as the titular serial killer in Longlegs. The 42-year veteran actor now faces an arguably more difficult role portraying John Madden in the upcoming Amazon biopic «Madden.»
On Thursday, Amazon MGM Studios announced that Nicolas Cage will portray the late football legend John Madden in an upcoming film directed and co-written by David O. Russell. Although the feature is billed as a biopic, The Hollywood Reporter notes that insiders described it as «the origin story of Madden NFL», the video game franchise.
«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 casting reveal.
Nic Cage is one of my favorite actors, but I have difficulty picturing him as John Madden. It’s a role seemingly tailor-made for comedian Frank Caliendo, whose Madden impersonations (below) made him a household name. I get that Russell was looking for a serious actor rather than a comedian, but why not? Last year, Deadline noted that the director was considering Saturday Night Live alum Will Ferrell for the role.
