Nicolas Cage to Play NFL Icon John Madden in Next David O. Russell Film

We need someone to break this one down for us. Nicolas Cage, who just played a serial killer in “Longlegs,” is going in a completely different direction for his next role. Cage will portray a truly beloved icon of football and the NFL, John Madden. Boom!

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Cage has been set to star in “Madden,” the next film from director David O. Russell that is set up at Amazon MGM Studios, IndieWire has confirmed. He’ll portray Madden throughout his tenure as the coach of the Oakland Raiders back in the 1970s, all drawn from an original screenplay by Russell. More-specific plot details have yet to be revealed. It’s also unclear how deeply into his life story the film will get, whether it extends to his broadcasting career or his role in the massively popular video-game franchise that continues to this day even past his death in 2021. As a matter of fact, “Madden 25” comes out tomorrow.

More cast will be announced soon.

“Nicolas Cage, one of our greatest and most original actors, will portray the best of the American spirit of originality, fun, and determination in which anything is possible as beloved national legend John Madden. Together with the ferocious style, focus, and inspired individualism of Al Davis, owner of the underdog Oakland Raiders, the feature will be about the joy, humanity and genius that was John Madden in a wildly inventive, cool world of the 1970s,” Russell said in a statement.

Todd Black is producing the film, as are Escape Artists’ Jason Blumenthal, Steve Tisch, and Jonathan Shukat alongside David O. Russell and Matthew Budman. Escape Artists’ David Bloomfield will executive produce. An original screenplay by Russell follows an earlier version by Cambron Clark.

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Cage is working with Amazon on another curious project, a live-action version of the Spider-Noir character he originated in animated form in the “Spider-Verse” films. He’ll also be seen in “The Surfer,” the psychological thriller that premiered at this year’s Cannes, and heard from in the next “Spider-Verse” film.

For Russell, this is his first film as a director since 2022’s “Amsterdam.” He’s also prepping an untitled biopic on the late music icon Linda Ronstadt, with Selena Gomez set to star.

Deadline first reported the news.