John Madden is one of the most influential figures in the history of the NFL, and now he is getting his own feature film. Deadline’s Matt Grobar reports movie star Will Ferrell is in talks to play Madden in a new movie titled Madden.
Madden will be produced by Amazon and MGM and is expected to tell the story of John Madden throughout his NFL career, from coach to broadcaster to video game namesake. Giants co-owner Steve Tisch is expected to be an executive producer on the film.
A Hall-of-Famer, Madden was a pioneer in the NFL, becoming the Raiders head coach at just 32 years old and winning a Super Bowl eight years later. He coached for just ten years in the league before becoming a TV broadcaster, where he would form an iconic duo with play-by-play man Pat Summerall.
Madden called 11 Super Bowls with four different networks, first with Summerall and the last three with Al Michaels. He would also become the face of the Madden NFL video game series, which has been the premier NFL video game on the market for decades.
Ferrell has a history of starring in sports movies, as he headlined comedies Talladega Nights, Kicking & Screaming, Semi-Pro and Blades of Glory. The movie will also be directed by David O. Russell, who directed Silver Linings Playbook.
