As I've mentioned before, John Madden and Nicolas Cage are two of my favorite people of all time. So I'm insanely hyped that Cage will play John Madden in a biopic coming in 2026. Will it be good? I don't know, but I'll be front and center one way or the other when it drops.
The controversial David O. Russell is in the director's chair, with Christian Bale portraying legendary Oakland Raiders owner Al Davis. John Mulaney will be EA founder Trip Hawkins, who never stopped believing in the idea of a Madden football game even when the technology to make it didn't exist yet.
The NFL is a huge part of Amazon's plan to be all things to all people. It paid $1 billion to stream NFL games throughout the year, and has already produced It's In The Game. That documentary chronicles Madden NFL's journey from "this will never work" to one of the most profitable and well-known video game franchises in the entire world.
In an era when many coaches and athletes just slapped their name on the game and happily took the check, Madden wouldn't put his name on anything that didn't represent the NFL realistically. Games at the time were 7-on-7 because programmers hadn't figured out to make 22 players on the field at one time work. Madden wouldn't sign off on that, leaving EA no choice but to figure out how to get it done. The rest is history, and just one of the ways Madden changed the game that has become America's most popular sport.
This movie lands Nov. 26, 2026, right in the heart of football season.