When Amazon announced a new biopic about legendary football coach and analyst John Madden, the casting for Madden was a head-scratcher: Nicolas Cage.
The film, which is currently shooting in metro Atlanta, will cover Madden’s time from 1969 to 1978 as an NFL coach for the Oakland Raiders. Madden was just 32 when he was hired as head coach. He led the team to Super Bowl victory in 1977. Amazon said the movie will also feature Madden becoming an enthusiastic Emmy-winning football analyst on TV and developing the iconic video game Madden NFL, originally titled John Madden Football, in 1988.
The video game helped solidify Madden’s status as a household name over multiple generations. He died in 2021 at age 85.
Shooting for “Madden” began April 24 and is scheduled to run through July 1 out of Shadowbox Studios in Atlanta.
Amazon on Wednesday released a first-look photo of Cage as Madden next to Christian Bale portraying Raiders owner and close friend Al Davis. They are showing off their Super Bowl rings.
Credit: Chuck Zlotnick
Credit: Chuck Zlotnick
Even with makeup and hair out of the 1970s, Cage’s resemblance to Madden is fleeting at best. Bale, with the sunglasses, does pass for Davis.
Credit: AP FI
Credit: AP FI
Others in the cast include John Mulaney as tech entrepreneur Trip Hawkins, who helped develop Madden NFL, Kathryn Hahn as Madden’s wife, Virginia, and Sienna Miller as Davis’ wife, Carol.
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