Christian Bale in the John Madden biopic sure looks like Christian Bale
Christian Bale in the John Madden biopic sure looks like Christian Bale
FIRST LOOK: Christian Bale as Al Davis in the Upcoming Film 'Madden' pic.twitter.com/7vXQC33R64 — Cinema Tweets (@CinemaTweets1) June 7, 2025
There's a John Madden biopic headed our way, with Nicolas Cage playing the titular character and Christian Bale as then-Oakland/Los Angeles Raiders franchise owner Al Davis. And, since it's summer and we're still about two months removed from exhibition American football, sure, let's talk about it.
The first promotional image accomplished the impressive feat of tapping into the 1970s-cool aesthetic Davis used to user in a new era of NFL football and Raiders success. Davis was a pioneer, a win-first owner who also stood up for civil rights and used his platform to improve a growing league while also helping to develop the product on the field into the electric, violent display that helped the sport boom in popularity. That's no doubt how Davis, who passed away in 2011, would like to be remembered rather than the string of mediocrity that hung over the thrice-relocated team over the final two decades of his career.
Candid shots have leaked during filming as well, showing a beefed-up, prosthetics-donning Cage looking a lot like the square-bodied Hall of Fame head coach. On Monday, a shot of Bale as a less-flattering, older version of Davis dropped. And, maybe it's because "Christian Bale undergoes weird physical transformation for role" is basically a Hollywood trope at this point, but it's a little underwhelming.
Yep, that's Christian Bale, all right. Good talk everybody. See you out there.
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