EXCLUSIVE: To no one’s surprise, David O. Russell’s next film about legendary coach and broadcaster John Madden is lining up another all-star ensemble as Deadline is hearing John Mulaney, Kathryn Hahn and Sienna Miller are all in talks to join Madden for Amazon MGM Studios. They join Nicolas Cage who will portray the iconic sports figure and Christian Bale, who will play the late Raiders owner Al Davis. When deals close, Mulaney will play Trip Hawkins, who founded EA Sports and was a driving force in behind the Madden Football video game while Hahn will play Madden’s wife Virginia and Miller will play Davis’ wife, Carol. Russell is directing with Escape Artists’s Todd Black producing.
Amazon MGM Studios had no comment.
Production is set to start next month in Atlanta with Russell directing from a script he wrote, following an earlier version by Cambron Clark. Todd Black is producing through his Black’s Escape Artists banner along with partners Jason Blumenthal and Steve Tisch, and Jonathan Shukat alongside Russell and Matthew Budman. Becky Sanderman is also producing and is the person who found the script and brought it to Escape Artists. Escape Artists’ David Bloomfield will executive produce.
The film is about the unlikely path that took John Madden from Super Bowl-winning Oakland Raiders head coach to the brains and brand behind Madden NFL. That paved the way for his rise to become arguably the greatest football broadcaster the NFL has ever seen.
Russell’s films have always drawn high-profile talent and this one is no different as actors have always been drawn to working the Oscar-nominated director. As Bale, this marks the fourth time the two have worked together having previously collaborated on Amsterdam, American Hustle and The Figher, which won Bale his first Oscar for best supporting actor.
As for Mulaney, this marks one of the bigger acting roles for the multi-talented host, comedian and writer who has already been on a roll as of late because of his hit Netflix talk show Everyone’s Live with John Mulaney. The three-time Emmy winner’s new show has been a hit since premiering earlier this year but this role will give Mulaney a real opportunity to show his range as an actor and add another checkmark to his long list of accomplishments.
Hahn has been on role as of late with back-to-back hit TV series starting with her Disney+ and Marvel series Agatha All Along, which was played well last fall when it premiered. She can currently be seen in the Apple TV+ series The Studio, which has earned her rave reviews since its premiere last month.
Miller is no stranger to working with top-tier directors like Clint Eastwood, Bennett Miller and most recently Kevin Costner on his western epic Horizon: An American Saga. She also recently played herself on the final season of HBO’s Curb Your Enthusiasm.
Mulaney is repped by WME and attorney Isaac Dunham, Hahn is repped by Gersh and Lighthouse Management and Media and Miller is repped by WME, United Agents and LBI Entertainment.
