The legendary NFL coach and football analyst John Madden is getting his own biopic, and the creative team behind it is shaping up to be amazing. Five-time Oscar nominee David O. Russell will direct this sports movie, while Will Ferrell is eyeing the lead role.
Madden went down in history as one of the larger-than-life personalities to grace NFL sidelines. After leading the Oakland Raiders to their first Super Bowl title as a head coach, he found equally remarkable success as a sports commentator. He redefined what it means to be a football broadcaster, providing commentary to four major American TV networks and winning 16 Sports Emmy Awards.
Madden would mark David O. Russell’s first film since the last year’s Amsterdam, starring Christian Bale, Margot Robbie, and John David Washington. It’s based on Cambron Clark’s script, and Russell has been working on a rewrite for Amazon and MGM.
Ferrell most recently appeared in the holiday musical comedy Spired alongside Ryan Reynolds, and he has several projects on the way this year. We’ll soon see him in Barbie alongside Margot Robbie and Ryan Gosling, and he’s also attached to the R-rated comedy Strays and Jessica Yu’s untitled film starring Sandra Oh and Awkwafina.
