Amazon MGM has unveiled a first look at Christian Bale and Nicolas Cage in their respective roles as Raiders team owner Al Davis and head coach John Madden in its forthcoming biopic, Madden, which officially kicked off production on May 13. At first glance, the actors appear unrecognizable in the photo (seen below), courtesy of Deadline, as they both sport very different appearances, taking to the field as the two NFL legends for the film, which will celebrate the life and career of the titular football coach-turned-broadcaster.
The two actors are pictured side by side, with both men punching their fists out in front of them to show off their sparkling Super Bowl rings, which are awarded to winning teams at the annual sporting event to commemorate their victory. Bale is clean-shaven with his hair styled high and tight, just like Davis’ signature quiff, which is quite far removed from the bushy-bearded, world-weary detective he portrayed in his last film, Netflix’s The Pale Blue Eye. Cage also has a new look for his role as Madden, including the coach’s distinctive mop of hair and a black jacket featuring the iconic Raiders team logo. He also grips a football in his hand.
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Controversial director David O. Russell is directing Madden from a script that he wrote, following an earlier version by Cambron Clark. The story follows John Madden’s journey from head coach of the Oakland Raiders to his incredible run as a sports commentator and his involvement in the creation and development of the Madden NFL video game series, to which he lent his expertise, commentary, and creative input (as well as his name), helping to usher in one of the biggest American football franchises for Electronic Arts’ sports division.
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Cage signed on for Madden last August after Hugh Jackman passed on the project. Will Ferrell was another name in the mix for a while, as he entered early negotiations to star in the film in 2023. However, those talks didn’t lead anywhere, leaving the role open for Cage amid a major career comeback. His recent movies include Longlegs, the highest-grossing indie horror film of the past decade; Arcadian, a slightly more audience-dividing release that found a second life on streaming; and The Surfer, which is currently rolling out in theaters.
More to come…
Source: Deadline
Birthname
Nicholas Kim Coppola
Birthdate
January 7, 1964
Birthplace
Long Beach, California, USA
Bio
Nicolas Kim Coppola born January 7 1964 known professionally as Nicolas Cage is an American actor producer and director He has performed in leading roles in a variety of films ranging from romantic comedies and dramas to science fiction and action movies Cage is known for his prolificacy appearing in at least one film per year nearly every year since 1980 with the exception of 1985 and 1991 In the early years of his career Cage starred in critically acclaimed films such as Valley Girl 1983 Racing with the Moon 1984 Birdy 1985 Peggy Sue Got Married 1986 Raising Arizona 1987 Moonstruck 1987 Vampire s Kiss 1989 Wild at Heart 1990 Honeymoon in Vegas 1992 and Red Rock West 1993 Cage received an Academy Award a Golden Globe and Screen Actors Guild Award for his performance as an alcoholic Hollywood writer in Leaving Las Vegas 1995 before coming to the attention of wider audiences with mainstream films such as The Rock 1996 Face Off 1997 Con Air 1997 City of Angels 1998 and National Treasure 2004 He earned his second Academy Award nomination for his performance as Charlie and Donald Kaufman in Adaptation 2002 In 2002 he directed the film Sonny for which he was nominated for Grand Special Prize at Deauville Film Festival Cage owns a production company Saturn Films and produced films such as Shadow of the Vampire 2000 and The Life of David Gale 2003 Though his performances in The Weather Man 2005 Lord of War 2005 The Bad Lieutenant Port of Call New Orleans 2009 and Kick Ass 2010 earned critical acclaim and films such as Ghost Rider 2007 and Knowing 2009 were box office successes Cage has been strongly criticized in recent years for his choice of roles some of which have been universally panned Most recently he voiced the character of Grug in the animated film The Croods He was born Nicolas Kim Coppola on January 7 1964 in Long Beach California to parents August Floyd Coppola a professor of literature and Joy Vogelsang a dancer and choreographer He was raised in a Catholic family His father was of Italian descent and his mother is of German and Polish descent His paternal grandparents were composer Carmine Coppola and actress Italia Pennino and his paternal great grandparents were immigrants from Bernalda Basilicata Italy Through his father Cage is the nephew of director Francis Ford Coppola and of actress Talia Shire and the cousin of directors Roman Coppola and Sofia Coppola film producer Gian Carlo Coppola and actors Robert Carmine and Jason Schwartzman Cage s two brothers are New York radio personality Marc The Cope Coppola and director Christopher Coppola He attended Beverly Hills High School which is known for its many alumni who became entertainers He aspired to act from an early age and also attended UCLA School of Theater Film and Television His first non cinematic acting experience was in a school production of Golden Boy
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