I always knew that someday there would be a movie about the Madden video games. And no, not the movie about the infamous “Madden Curse” that was teased more than a decade ago. But a real, legit film about the creation of Electronic Arts’ bestselling game franchise, and now it’s happening thanks to Amazon and MGM.
Deadline reports that Will Ferrell is in early talks to play NFL Hall of Fame coach John Madden, who went from winning Super Bowls to becoming the most popular broadcaster ever and face of the biggest sports video game franchise of all-time.
Set to direct Madden is David O. Russell, based on a script by Cambron Clark. Russell is coming off the utter box office failure that was Amsterdam, meaning that “failing upwards” is still a thing for certain filmmakers.
Ferrell is a gigantic sports fan, and has starred in numerous sports movies. For a while it seemed like sports comedies were the only thing he could do. He also knows about playing iconic broadcasters, thanks to his unforgettable Ron Burgundy role in two Anchorman movies.
I think people forget how crowded the NFL video game landscape was when John Madden Football was first published in 1988. You had new games coming out of the woodwork, including some with popular coaches such as Jerry Glanville and Mike Ditka, but it was Madden that survived and basically, it has been the only game in town for years.
