Nick gets sporty

John Madden

Nicolas Cage will portray legendary American football coach and sports commentator John Madden in director David O Russell's biographical drama, Madden. Russell, who is also writing and producing the film, was reportedly considering Will Ferrell and Hugh Jackman before casting the Arcadian actor.

The filmmaker issued a statement, saying, "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."

David O Russell and John Madden

As the head coach of the Oakland Raiders in the 1970s, Madden led the team to many championship games and its first Super Bowl victory. He became a mainstay of television football coverage, spending 30 years as a colour 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 for the series after his retirement as a broadcaster in 2009. Besides Madden, Russell has Linda Ronstadt's biopic, starring Selena Gomez, and a 1970s-set drama, Super Toys, with Keke Palmer and Sacha Baron Cohen.

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