So much to unpack here.
Amazon has decided to release a teaser for David O. Russell’s “Madden” on Christmas night and seems to be hinting that the film’s Thanksgiving 2026 release will be streaming-only? “Madden” is being branded as a “Prime Original.” I’ve reached out to Amazon reps for comment, but I doubt they’ll respond during the holidays.
The teaser is amusing. Christian Bale, in full makeup, plays former Oakland Raiders owner Al Davis. Nicolas Cage hams it up as football icon John Madden. The rest of the ensemble includes John Mulaney, Kathryn Hahn, Shane Gillis, and Sienna Miller.
Cage was the third — and final — actor attached to portray Madden, with both Will Ferrell and, more recently, Hugh Jackman dropping out of the project. It’s already a damn-near miracle the film is actually happening; there have been so many delays on this one.
Russell’s film tackles former NFL coach Madden’s exit from the league and his subsequent partnership with EA Sports to create the pioneering “Madden NFL” video game franchise. The film will explore the rivalry between Madden and Al Davis, in a race against time to develop the ultimate football video game.
As mentioned, Amazon is behind “Madden,” which Russell is writing and directing. The original script, written by Cambron Clark, has been part of the Black List for a few years now. Russell is said to have “tweaked” the script to his own liking, and I had recently reported that he now has the main screenwriting credit.
As is the case with many Russell productions, the “Madden” shoot has had its fair share of drama — Russell reportedly got into a full-blown shouting match with legendary cinematographer Robert Richardson (“Kill Bill,” “JFK”), and another report claimed a supporting actor walked off set after Russell used the N-word during an improvised monologue workshop, prompting multiple cast and crew members to protest and halt filming for the day.
Russell is coming off 2022’s “Amsterdam,” the most critically reviled film of his career. He has otherwise consistently delivered critically acclaimed fare over the course of his 30-year career, including films such as “Silver Linings Playbook,” “The Fighter,” “Three Kings,” “Flirting with Disaster,” and “American Hustle.”
Linklater has been planning a film about the transcendentalists, the "first hippies," a literary movement that included Margaret Fuller, Ralph Waldo Emerson, and Henry David Thoreau.