Will Ferrell is in line to play John Madden in a biopic of the late Hall of Fame coach, according to a report from Deadline.
The film would be distributed by MGM and Amazon, who recently struck gold with the story of Nike's courtship of Michael Jordan in Air. (FootballScoop can confirm with direct knowledge of the situation that Air is indeed excellent.) As Deadline explains, the script has passed around Hollywood for some time, and 5-time Oscar nominated director David O. Russell was in the re-write process as the ongoing writers' strike hit.
Similar to Air, the Madden flick would focus on his transition from coaching to all-around football evangelist and icon, keying on his friendship with late Raiders owner Al Davis.
A Prime Video Sports Original, Madden tells the story of one of the larger-than-life personalities to grace an NFL sideline. All Madden ever wanted was to be a head coach and he was one of the best ever. After winning the Super Bowl, the stress of the job began to destroy him. It forced him away from his dream job, and 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. He continued his passion for teaching X’s and O’s in different ways. He redefined the notion of the football broadcaster with an outsized personality that led to a big endorsement career for Lite Beer from Miller, Tinactin and other products. Although he’d never played a video game in his life, Madden helped changed the videogame landscape when he became the figurehead for Madden NFL, a perennial top seller that this fall gets its 24th incarnation through Electronic Arts.
New York Giants co-owner Steve Tisch is one of the producers, so it's anticipated the film would have the NFL's full sport. No one -- literally not one person -- did more to popularize the NFL than Madden, and so the NFL has reciprocated by participating in the legend of Madden.
Ferrell has long been professionally interested in sports. The most successful comedic actor of his generation, he played a soccer coach opposite Mike Ditka in the 2005 film Kicking & Screaming, the iconic stock car driver Ricky Bobby in Talladega Nights (2006), ice skater Chazz Michael Michaels in Blades of Glory (2006), and basketball player/owner Jackie Moon in Semi-Pro (2008). In fact, not getting cast as former Lakers owner Jerry Buss in the HBO series Winning Time reportedly led Ferrell to break up with longtime writing partner Adam McKay. The man takes his sports comedy seriously.
Off the silver screen, Ferrell has made a number of cameos in the real-world of sports.
In fact, in making one of those sports cameos, Ferrell angered the man he now hopes to portray.
Spring training aside, Madden's portrayal would be in good hands with Ferrell.
(Hat tip to PFT for the Conan clip.)