- May 21, 2026
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The Madden trailer landed on Thursday, more with a thud than a BOOM! The general reaction to the two-minute preview is that it doesn't look promising.
I've been conflicted by the film from the moment Nicolas Cage was cast as one of the most iconic and memorable figures in American sports history. The initial images made it clear that Cage in costume doesn't really look like John Madden. I held out hope that Cage would sound or move or behave like John Madden.
He doesn't.
Cage's Madden looks more like "Weird Al" Yankovic in the Fat video than John Madden. Cage's Madden looks more like grownup Chunk from The Goonies than John Madden.
Cage's Madden misses the mark so badly that it's easy to overlook the fact that Joel Murray doesn't even land in the area code of the equally iconic Pat Summerall.
The good news is that Christian Bale as Al Davis could help make up for the Madden misfire. (Or Shane Gillis as, you know, Shane Gillis.)
Still, the movie is about John Madden. And Nicolas Cage will not make anyone do the Leo gif while they're watching it.
Maybe the deeper message is that there's no one who can truly pull off John Madden. Frank Caliendo, who isn't an actor, does a caricature of Madden, not Madden.
Based on the trailer, Cage is a caricature of someone trying to be Madden. And failing.
I'll still watch it, mainly because there aren't nearly enough movies with NFL action that looks and feels authentic. Based on the trailer, this one does.
But the trailer generally pushes the bar low. Maybe it will be better, or worse, if Cage at some point does the truffle shuffle.
I've been conflicted by the film from the moment Nicolas Cage was cast as one of the most iconic and memorable figures in American sports history. The initial images made it clear that Cage in costume doesn't really look like John Madden. I held out hope that Cage would sound or move or behave like John Madden.
He doesn't.
Cage's Madden looks more like "Weird Al" Yankovic in the Fat video than John Madden. Cage's Madden looks more like grownup Chunk from The Goonies than John Madden.
Cage's Madden misses the mark so badly that it's easy to overlook the fact that Joel Murray doesn't even land in the area code of the equally iconic Pat Summerall.
The good news is that Christian Bale as Al Davis could help make up for the Madden misfire. (Or Shane Gillis as, you know, Shane Gillis.)
Still, the movie is about John Madden. And Nicolas Cage will not make anyone do the Leo gif while they're watching it.
Maybe the deeper message is that there's no one who can truly pull off John Madden. Frank Caliendo, who isn't an actor, does a caricature of Madden, not Madden.
Based on the trailer, Cage is a caricature of someone trying to be Madden. And failing.
I'll still watch it, mainly because there aren't nearly enough movies with NFL action that looks and feels authentic. Based on the trailer, this one does.
But the trailer generally pushes the bar low. Maybe it will be better, or worse, if Cage at some point does the truffle shuffle.