Nicolas Cage has taken on an array of diverse roles during the course of his decades-long Hollywood career.
These have ranged from a web-slinging PI in “Spider-Noir” to a particularly unhinged Count Dracula in “Renfield” to an even more unhinged fictionalized version of himself in “The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent.”
Now, Cage is stepping into a whole new role, playing one of the most beloved figures to ever be associated with the NFL.
‘Madden’
Amazon MGM StudiosIn “Madden,” Cage portrays football player-turned-analyst John Madden.
Directed by acclaimed filmmaker David O. Russell, the upcoming film will debut this fall on Prime Video.
In advance of the premiere, the streamer has unveiled its first look at Cage in character as Madden.
‘A Beloved American Icon’
“Inspired by the life of a beloved American icon, ‘Madden’ chronicles John Madden’s incredible journey alongside best friend and true original Al Davis — from a Super Bowl-winning partnership with the Raiders, to becoming football’s most recognizable voice, to building the worldwide Madden NFL video game,” reads the press release for the film.
Per the release, the movie “is the celebration of a brilliant mind whose once in a century spirit and personality, partnership with his daring wife Virginia, lifelong friendships, and infectious love of people and football transcended the world of sports.”
In addition to Cage, “Madden” also stars Christian Bale, Kathryn Hahn and Sienna Miller. Also starring are standup comics John Mulaney and Shane Gillis.
A Tight Turnaround
While promoting “Spider-Noir,” Cage spoke with Deadline about what it had been like to star in his first-ever TV series.
During the conversation, Cage was asked about the production schedules of the series and “Madden,” which began filming immediately after “Spider-Noir” wrapped.
“It was a bit of a learning curve and a fast cut,” Cage said. “When you do a season of television, it’s equivalent to making four movies back-to-back. It’s a lot.”
From an acting perspective, that meant abandoning the 1930s-era gumshoe he’d been playing for months and jumping into a whole new character — this one, an actual person.
“So, I was talking like an old-world film noir actor for a long time and then suddenly David O. Russell is inviting me to play this famous football coach, who was also a TV personality, who had a very specific way of talking, nothing like a film noir actor,” Cage explained.
“And frankly, nothing like me,” he added. “I have nothing in common with John Madden, and that was the challenge.”
However, Cage credited Russell with assisting him in finding his way into portraying such a familiar figure — who, as he pointed out, had been a wildly popular precence on television for decades.
“But when we rehearsed, David tried to help me find the voice and I said to him, ‘It may not be anatomically possible, OK?'” he recalled with a laugh. “So, I figured that maybe we’d just make a cocktail of the John Madden sound with a little of this and that and we’ll reintroduce something of my version of his voice.”
When Does ‘Madden’ Premiere
The highly anticipated biopic debuts November 18 on Prime Video.
