Nicolas Cage Cast as NFL Hall of Famer John Madden

For years, David O. Russell's next project has been rumored to be a biopic about the legendary John Madden, the former NFL head coach and broadcaster whose name also represents something meaningful to video game fans who have enjoyed his John Madden Football – now simply Madden – games since it first hit shelves in the late eighties.

When news of the project first hit, rumors of who would play the football legend came with names such as Will Ferrell and Hugh Jackman, but it's now been revealed that they've been benched, and the next man up is none other than the Academy Award-winning Nicolas Cage.

"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," Russell said. "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."

The project comes from Amazon MGM Studios and will be a Prime Sports Original.

Produced by Todd Black, Madden will be directed by Russell, who also wrote the script, working from an original screenplay from debut screenwriter Cambron Clark.

Madden is said to not be a typical biopic, but instead a video game movie, telling the origin story of one of the biggest video game franchises of all time.

As per IMDb, the synopsis reads:

After being forced into retirement by the Oakland Raiders, fiery former NFL head coach John Madden teams up with a mild-mannered Harvard programmer to rewrite his fading legacy by building the world's first football video game.

Further announcements about additional casting, release date etc. are yet to be announced.