Will Ferrell is one of the most recognizable faces in Hollywood and while he's mostly popular for his roles in comedy films like The Other Guys and Get Hard, he's just as adapt as a dramatic actor, writer, and producer.
Now, according to Deadline, the 55-year-old star is in talks to star as former NFL coach and broadcaster John Madden in a new Amazon/MGM biopic titled Madden. The studio will be hoping the film toes the line of recent sports biopics, like Air and King Richard, and achieves the same success they did.
The film will be directed by multiple Oscar Awards nominee David O. Russell based on a script by Cambron Clark. Russell was reworking the screenplay to ensure it is suitable for the story he wants to tell but had to pause it because of the ongoing writers’ strike.
Todd Black, Jonathan Shukat, Jason Blumenthal, and Steve Tisch, the executive vice president of the New York Giants, will produce the film.
According to the report, Madden will chronicle the life of the eponymous character it is named after. The report also states that the film focuses on his friendship with Oakland Raiders owner Al Davis, and how Madden found a second act that made him far more famous.
Although he had a short career, Madden was a highly successful coach who won the Super Bowl and led his team to seven AFL/ALC Championship games.
Following his retirement, he pivoted to broadcasting and worked as a commentator on NFL games for almost three decades. He brought his outsized personality to the job and his unique take landed him huge endorsements from different brands.
Later, he became the face and voice of the Madden NFL series, one of the biggest and most successful sports video game franchises of all time. The latest installment of that series, Madden NFL 23, is on the way, although there is currently no release date.
Ferrell is a man in demand. The actor’s last feature film appearance was in the 2022 musical comedy film Spirited and the miniseries The Shrink Next Door both of which are available on Apple TV+. He will next appear in the Warner Bros. film Barbie and the Amazon comedy You’re Cordially Invited.
Russell is a five-time Oscar Awards nominee with critically acclaimed films like Silver Linings Playbook and American Hustle under his belt. American Hustle alone had 10 Academy Award nominations while Silver Linings Playbook scored eight and won one for Best Actress.
The director’s next film, Super Toys, will star Sacha Baren Cohen and Keke Palmer. It is currently in pre-production and, as a result, does not have a release date. Russell will direct based on a script he penned.
Apart from Madden’s potential casting and Russell’s attachment to direct, there is little to no other information on the film.
