Senior Film and Media Reporter

Nicolas Cage will play John Madden, the legendary American football coach and sports commentator, in director David O. Russell's upcoming biographical drama “Madden.”

"Nicolas Cage, one of our finest and most original actors, will capture the best of the American spirit of originality, fun and determination where anything is possible as the beloved national legend John Madden," Russell said in a statement. "Together with the fierce style, focus and inspired individualism of Al Davis, owner of the underdog Oakland Raiders, the film will be about the joy, humanity and genius that was John Madden in a wildly inventive, cool world of the 1970s."

Madden, who died in 2021 at age 85, was the muscular, talkative head coach of the Oakland Raiders in the 1970s, leading the team to multiple championship games and their first Super Bowl victory. He became a mainstay of football television coverage, spending three decades as a color commentator after retiring from coaching in 1979. He is also the namesake of the popular video game franchise, "Madden NFL," and continued to provide creative input on the series after retiring as a broadcaster in 2009.