Famous actor in talks to star as John Madden for new movie

Feb 3, 2011; Dallas, TX, USA; NFL former head coach John Madden during the Madden most valuable protectors award press conference at the Sheraton in downtown Dallas. Mandatory Credit: Matthew Emmons-USA TODAY Sports

An upcoming Prime Video Sports Original, Madden, will tell the story of Pro Football Hall of Famer John Madden and, perhaps more specifically, his creation of the famous video game series, “John Madden Football.” The theatrical feature is set to be directed by five-time Oscar nominee David O. Russell.

But who will star as Madden? You might expect comedian Frank Caliendo, who does a spot-on Madden impression, but that’s not the direction Amazon appears to be heading.

Deadline reports that former Saturday Night Live star, Will Ferrell, is currently in talks with Amazon to play the highly successful head coach-turned-broadcaster.

Ferrell seems like a somewhat odd choice to embody the late John Madden. The quirky funny man has spent the vast majority of his career playing comedic roles that sometimes border on the absurd. And while Madden certainly had a good sense of humor, it doesn’t necessarily fit with the over-the-top antics of Ferrell or match his cinematic history. His more popular films include Anchorman, Step Brothers, Elf, Old School and others in that same vein.

The film will be produced by Escape Artists’ Todd Black, Jonathan Shukat, Jason Blumenthal and Steve Tisch, who is co-owner of the New York Giants alongside John Mara.

Because of Tisch’s involvement, it is expected that the NFL will sign off on the project and embrace the film.

The real question is how true to life Amazon will be with the flick. While “John Madden Football” — later renamed “Madden NFL” in 1993 — remains a popular video game franchise, it has fallen off in recent years with critics claiming EA got “lazy” and continue to reproduce the same thing over and over again.

One thing is for certain, there must be turducken.