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A staple on the NFL and college football sidelines as a fan, Will Ferrell will now bring his football acumen to the big screen as he is set to star as legendary coach John Madden in a biopic based on the Hall of Famer. , according to Matt Grobar of Deadline .
The film, titled Maddenwill be produced by Amazon and MGM studios and directed by five-time Academy Award nominee David O’Russell.
Madden will be a Prime Video Sports Original and is the latest addition to the ever-growing genre of sports biopic films. It will try to follow the steps of recent successes such as Air, King Richard, 42, Moneyball and Hurry up.
Ferrell, a longtime Seattle Seahawks and USC football fan known mostly for his comedic roles, has a lot of shoes to fill as he tries to embody the spirit of Madden, a legendary coach. and broadcaster.
In a relatively short head coaching career with the Oakland Raiders that lasted from 1969-1978, Madden was very successful, winning the organization’s first Super Bowl title in 1976 and leading it to seven games in AFL/AFC Championship.
Shortly after retiring, Madden entered the broadcast booth for nearly 30 years where he became an even bigger legend, winning 16 Emmy Awards.
He is also the namesake of the Madden NFL video game, which is the best-selling football game franchise of all time.
Madden died at the age of 85 in December 2021 due to undisclosed circumstances.
“No one loves football more than Coach,” NFL commissioner Roger Goodell said at the time. “He was football. He was an incredible sounding board for me and so many others. There was no other John Madden, and we are forever indebted to him for everything he did to make football and the NFL what it is. it’s now.”
