Preview:
- Kathryn Hahn, John Mulaney and Sienna Miller are the latest recruits for ‘Madden.’
- David O. Russell wrote the script and will direct.
- Nicolas Cage is playing the football icon.
We learned in August last year that Nicolas Cage would be making an unusual move for him, and stepping up to play NFL coaching (and TV/video game) legend John Madden for a new movie from ‘American Hustle’s David O. Russell.
And, as seems typical with Russell’s projects, he’s now gathered a starry ensemble to support Cage in the film.
Per Deadline, Kathryn Hahn, John Mulaney and Sienna Miller are the latest additions to the movie.
And the site’s story confirms word from reporter Jeff Sneider that Christian Bale, a perennial Russell performer, is also aboard the movie.
Related Article: Nicolas Cage Playing Football and Broadcasting Icon John Madden in ‘Madden’
What’s the story of ‘Madden’?
With a script by Russell (based on earlier work from Cambron Clark), the exact details of what ‘Madden’ will cover remain a little indistinct at the moment.
But there is certainly a lot to choose from. Madden was a star player in high school, and was drafted by the Philadelphia Eagles in 1958, only for injury to curtail his rookie season.
Instead, he went on to earn a degree in teaching and put his skills/experience to good use as a coach, going on to lead the Oakland Raiders to the Super Bowl and a win in 1977.
Madden became known as one of the best coaches in the sport’s history, but his all-consuming passion and commitment wore on him, and he retired for health reasons.
Still, a hugely successful second chapter dawned as courted by the fledgling gaming company Electronic Arts to be the front man for its Madden NFL multi-player video game. Madden had never played a video game, but it turned into an outlet where he could lend his knowledge and help the masses better understand the gridiron.
The game has long been a sensation –– even with its inspiration dying in 2021, it continues to this day as a favorite of players and fans.
And beyond even that, Madden also became famous as a beloved commentator on the game he loved so much, his enthusiasm pouring from the screen, and his habit of scribbling on the screen making him a firm favorite among viewers.
Who are the new recruits playing?
Bale is playing late Raiders owner Al Davis, while Mulaney has the role of Trip Hawkins, who founded EA Sports and was a driving force in behind the Madden NFL video games.
Hahn will be Madden’s wife, Virginia; and Miller is on board to be Davis’ wife, Carol.
With the casting process in full swing, Russell is preparing to start shooting next month in Atlanta.
‘Madden’: David O. Russell talks Nicolas Cage
Here’s what Russell said about the casting news in a statement:
“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. 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.”
Russell himself is something of a controversial figure, his successful directing career also marked by criticisms of his attitude to women and other groups. He’s also been known for his mercurial behavior on set, infamously clashing with George Clooney on ‘Three Kings’ and Lily Tomlin on ‘I Heart Huckabees‘.
19072Bale, of course, clearly has no such issues, since he has worked with the director several times before, on ‘Amsterdam,’ ‘American Hustle’ and ‘The Fighter,’ which won him his first Oscar for Best Supporting Actor.
Where else have we seen Kathryn Hahn, John Mulaney and Sienna Miller?
Hahn has been busy lately with Disney+ and Marvel series ‘Agatha All Along,’ which has played well since it premiered in the fall. She can also be seen in the Apple TV+ series ‘The Studio,’ which has been a success for that streaming service.
On the movie front, she lent her voice to animated canine comedy ‘Fixed,’ directed by Genndy Tartakovsky, which has been in limbo until it was picked up by Netflix for release in August.
Mulaney, meanwhile, has been spending his time on Netflix talk show ‘Everyone’s Live with John Mulaney,’ and he’ll be back as Spider-Ham for ‘Spider-Man: Beyond the Spider-Verse,’ though that won’t be on screens until 2027.
He’s also a voice (and a producer) on animated coming-of-age comedy series ‘Big Mouth‘, which launches its final season on Netflix on May 23rd. ‘Madden’ marks one of his rare forays into bigger movie roles.
As for Miller, she was most recently seen in Kevin Costner’s Western ‘Horizon: An American Saga’ and assuming the second part moseys its way to theaters after the box office stumble of the first, she’ll be back in her role as Frances Kittredge.
Coming up, she’s back as Cathy Ryan for the ‘Jack Ryan’ movie, based on the John Krasinski-starring series that has been shooting and will likely be in theaters next year.
When will the new David O. Russell/Nicolas Cage movie ‘Madden’ be in theaters?
Amazon/MGM Studios is backing the drama, but it has yet to schedule a release date.
List of Football Movies:
- ‘Brian’s Song‘ (1971)
- ‘The Longest Yard‘ (1974)
- ‘Heaven Can Wait‘ (1978)
- ‘North Dallas Forty‘ (1979)
- ‘All the Right Moves‘ (1983)
- ‘Wildcats‘ (1986)
- ‘Necessary Roughness‘ (1991)
- ‘Rudy‘ (1993)
- ‘The Program‘ (1993)
- ‘Jerry Maguire‘ (1996)
- ‘Any Given Sunday‘ (1999)
- ‘Varsity Blues‘ (1999)
- ‘Remember the Titans‘ (2000)
- ‘The Replacements‘ (2000)
- ‘Friday Night Lights‘ (2004)
- ‘The Longest Yard‘ (2005)
- ‘Invincible‘ (2006)
- ‘We Are Marshall‘ (2006)
- ‘Gridiron Gang‘ (2006)
- ‘Leatherheads‘ (2008)
- ‘The Blind Side‘ (2009)
- ‘Draft Day‘ (2014)
- ‘Concussion‘ (2015)
- ‘American Underdog‘ (2021)
- ‘80 for Brady‘ (2023)
- ‘The Underdoggs‘ (2024)
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