"You only have seven men on a team, and I'm out!" When Nicolas Cage delivers this line with an almost exaggerated, near-shouting intensity, John Mulaney stands across from him on screen, slicked back in a glossy suit, playing a tech startup founder pitching a video game concept. This exchange is the standout moment in the trailer for the biopic Madden — not a victory or defeat on the field, but a negotiation over whether a "7-on-7 football game" should even exist.
Directed by David O. Russell, the film takes its title directly from its subject: the late legendary football coach John Madden. This marks Cage's first time portraying the real-life figure, complete with his signature exaggerated wig and prosthetics — consistent with his usual approach to playing larger-than-life characters. The trailer shows the story tracing Madden's forced retirement from coaching due to health issues, his transition to the broadcast booth, and finally arriving at the identity younger generations know him best for — the namesake of the video game.
