Longtime comedic actor Will Ferrell is in talks to portray the legendary NFL coach John Madden in an upcoming film at Amazon/MGM, according to a report from Deadline.
The film will reportedly be titled Madden and be directed by American Hustle filmmaker David O. Russell.
The project is going off a 2022 Black List script by Cambron Clark, though Deadline shared that Russell was reportedly doing rewrites on the project before the WGA strike started earlier this month.
Rather than focus on Madden’s coaching days, Deadline says the film will follow the football icon after he left the Oakland Raiders and built a new career for himself as a broadcaster, product spokesperson and pioneer in the sports video game world.
The original Black List-recognized script from Clark focused on Madden getting his self-titled NFL video game franchise off the ground.
Last week, Black List readers enjoyed MADDEN by Cambron Clark. https://t.co/UEPhU94M7h #BlackListWeekendRead pic.twitter.com/TOsmcTwNoJ
— The Black List (@theblcklst) February 16, 2022
The Amazon/MGM film is separate from the Tom Brady-executive produced limited series on Madden’s life that is reportedly in the works.