John Madden seems a little too ready to steal the Declaration of Independence.
In a viral clip released by Amazon to preview the new movie “Madden,” a biopic of the larger-than-life NFL head coach and groundbreaking television broadcaster, fans are a little surprised by the appearance of the character, played by Nicolas Cage.
The clip shows Madden in the booth alongside his partner Pat Summerall (played by Joel Murray), leaving some deeply concerned.
“Wow!! This looks horrible!!” an X account, @thebigsmooth, published on X.
The clip shows Cage as Madden, although he lacks that distinctive “boom” that Madden’s voice had; instead, Cage produced a dull “Forrest Gump” impression.
In the clip, Cage takes his telestrator and displays it on the television screen, where he makes a bunch of random scribbles to describe a piece, while the producers in the back seem baffled by the explanation.
Madden is known as the first broadcaster to use this device, which has since become essential in the coverage of sporting events.
“We need to get this off him,” said the crew in the back. “Who will understand this? »
The “National Treasure” star received widespread criticism for his attempt to replicate a legend.
“I really think so. Is this the worst movie ever made?” X Account Kyle Tucker of 247 Sports posted about X just upon seeing the trailer.
Some commentators called it a “cheap parody”, while others would have preferred a full parody rather than Cage, with calls for Frank Caliendo to reprise the role rather than Cage.
“Did he even try to change his voice?” » @tm_garrison posted on X in a comment with over 2,000 likes.
“I mean, this is basically a desecration of Madden’s legacy. Incredibly bad,” added @markcalorian on X.
Some have had issues with Summerall’s casting, with questions about her character’s look.
“This is a really bad job of impersonating John Madden. How did this get the green light?” @FBAShaka asked on X.
Amazon MGM Studios financed the film and Escape Artists, a company run by former Giants owner Steve Tisch, produced it.
It had an estimated budget of $75 million and is scheduled to hit theaters starting November 11.
Madden, who died in 2021, was a Super Bowl-winning coach with the Oakland Raiders and got into broadcasting in 1979 and eventually left the booth in 2009.
He has won 16 Emmy Awards for Outstanding Sports Analyst/Personality and was inducted into the Sports Broadcasting Hall of Fame in 2010 and the NFL Hall of Fame in 2006.
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