Huge Hollywood star looks unrecognizable, as insiders say he hopes transformation will save his ‘broken’ career

An A-list Hollywood star looked almost unrecognizable as he transformed into iconic football coach John Madden for David O. Russell’s the highly anticipated upcoming biopic ‘Madden’.

Academy Award winner, Nicolas Cage, 61, was spotted wearing a fat suit to channel Madden’s heftier frame as filming kicked off in Atlanta, Georgia, on Monday.

His co-star Christian Bale, 51, who plays Al Davis – the Raiders’ owner and general manager for 39 years and a key figure in Madden’s rise – was also on set. 

The epic transformation confirms what many in Hollywood believe is a focused Cage has his sights set on a second Oscar with his portrayal of the Super Bowl-winning coach and inspiration behind one of the best and most successful video games ever, Madden NFL.

The game famous took off in 1984 when Madden not only allowed his name to be attached to it, but also provided his expert knowledge of football that saw an entire genre of sports simulation video games explode. 

Cage famously won an Oscar for his harrowing role as alcoholic screenwriter Ben Sanderson drinking himself to death in the 1996 classic, Leaving Las Vegas.

A source exclusively told the Daily Mail that Cage ‘is absolutely gunning for another Oscar’.

‘He has become Madden, and he lives and breathes this man. 

‘He has dedicated himself fully to this role.

‘For many years, people dismissed him because he was too comedic and overlooked him for numerous challenging and serious roles. 

However, he has proven himself and will continue to take on physically and emotionally demanding roles.’

‘His team believes he is poised to secure all the awards for this portrayal,’ the insider added. 

Another source shared that those involved with the project are ‘expecting and hoping this will bring everyone back to the Oscar stage’.

The insider said Cage is looking to prove the naysayers wrong after some people suggested he might not be the right fit for the role.

‘Nicolas has briefly heard rumblings on thoughts that he might not be the best choice to play Madden, but this film and the way he is playing Madden should reiterate to everyone that he is one of our greatest actors of all time. He is going to kill it,’ they continued.

‘If we see this movie make a major impact at the box office and win tons of awards for everyone, it will be everything, as everyone is giving it their all and leaving nothing on the table.’

The first source added that Cage’s co-star Bale ‘has been an incredible support for Nic’. 

‘Working with someone like Christian can be intimidating, but he’s given Nic confidence and helped him dig deep for this role. They’re competitive, but it only brings out the best in both of them.’

Instead of his usual shorter black hair, Cage was seen rocking a shaggy reddish brown hairdo and a vintage inspired look on Monday, to portray the famed Oakland Raiders coach. 

Channeling a classic ’70s aesthetic, Cage wore a blue t-shirt tucked into high-waisted blue pants, finished with retro Adidas sneakers. He also had a flashy Super Bowl ring on his finger.

The outfit and hairstyle drew inspiration from a look Madden sported around 1977 when coaching the Raiders. 

Bale was seen in an old-school denim suit with a white turtleneck underneath. 

The source also shared that the movie ‘is going to dive mostly in Madden’s life when it comes to his video game legacy’ and its creation.

‘There will be the backdrop of his time in the NFL, but it is going to focus on him and his help in creating one of the biggest and influential video games of all time.’

By 2018, EA sports had sold more than 130 million copies of Madden NFL. 

The game’s latest edition was the best-selling video game in America as of August 2024. 

Speaking of Russell, who was once called a ‘miserable f**k’ by George Clooney, the source shared that he ‘is known not to be the most pleasant person to deal with and he is finally realizing that, as it is catching up to him, he is looking to get back his clout and standing back in Hollywood and he is looking for this film to be his comeback.’

The source added: ‘The film’s original script was on the coveted Black List of scripts that in Hollywood has found success within the past several years with such scripts as The Revenant, The Descendants and Juno to name a few being from there.’ 

‘Once David O. Russell got his hands on it and changed it to where he is the writer of the revamped film, his past accolades instantly give it a chance to be seen and welcomed for award talk.’

‘He hasn’t been nominated in over a decade for the Academy Award, but this might bring him back in the discussion.’ 

The insider said: ‘David is not well liked by many in Hollywood… but his talent is well seen and to get Nic and Christian to play these roles, they aren’t going to half a** it at all, and their success will hopefully rub off on David, who needs it.’

‘Nicolas is an incredible actor, he is in so many great films, his performances are legendary… and playing Madden seems to be where he might get nominated again and even win the Oscar again. He wouldn’t be against receiving that accolade again. He’s all for it.’ 

Along with Cage and Bale, the cast also includes John Mulaney as Electronic Arts founder Trip Hawkins, Kathryn Hahn as Virginia Madden, and Sienna Miller as Carol Davis. 

The film about the legendary coach and broadcaster will be produced by Amazon MGM Studios and does not yet have a projected release date. 

Davis, the then-owner and general manager of the Oakland Raiders, hired Madden as the team’s linebackers coach in 1967. 

Two years later, in 1969, he made Madden the head coach of the Raiders – a pivotal moment for the franchise.

Under their leadership, the Raiders became one of the most formidable teams in the NFL. Throughout Madden’s ten seasons as head coach (1969-1978), the team never had a losing season and went on to win the Super Bowl XI in 1977.

The film’s director announced the casting last August, praising Cage’s prolific career.

‘Nicolas Cage, one of our greatest and most original actors, will portray the best of the American spirit of originality, fun and determination in which anything is possible as beloved national legend John Madden,’ Russell said in a press release.

‘Together with the ferocious style, focus and inspired individualism of Al Davis, owner of the underdog Oakland Raiders, the feature will be about the joy, humanity and genius that was John Madden in a wildly inventive, cool world of the 1970s,’ Russell continued.

Madden died in December 2021 aged 85, with Cage set to take on the role almost three years after the legend’s passing. Davis died at 82 in 2011.

Cage is a two-time Academy Award nominee, winning in 1995’s Best Actor honor for his role in ‘Leaving Las Vegas’.

Cage’s second Academy Award nomination came in 2002 for ‘Adaptation’. 

Bale has won an Oscar for Best Supporting Actor in 2011 for his role as Dicky Eklund in the film The Fighter (2010), also directed by Russell.

Meanwhile Russell has directed a number of successful films, including The Fighter, American Hustle, and Silver Linings Playbook. He has been nominated for five Oscars, but has yet to win.