John Madden looks a little too ready to steal the Declaration of Independence.
In a viral clip posted by Amazon to give a sneak preview of the new “Madden” movie, a biopic of the larger-than-life NFL head coach and revolutionary television broadcaster, fans are a bit taken back by the look and feel 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 AWFUL!!” one X account, @thebigsmooth, posted on X.
The clip shows Cage as Madden, though it doesn’t have that distinctive “boom” that Madden’s voice had; instead, Cage produced a dull “Forrest Gump-like” impression.
In the clip, Cage picks up his telestrator and brings it onto the television screen, where he makes a bunch of random chicken-scratch scribbles to describe a play, while the producers in the back look befuddled by the explanation.
Madden is known as the first broadcaster to use the device that has since become a staple in coverage of sporting events.
“We’ve got to take that away from him,” the crew in the back says. “Who is going to understand this?”
The “National Treasure” star has been getting loads of criticism for his attempt at replicating a legend.
“I mean it. Is this the worst movie ever made?” X account 247 Sports’ Kyle Tucker posted on X at just the sight of the trailer.
Some commenters called it a “cheap parody,” while others would have preferred a full-on spoof rather than Cage, with calls for Frank Caliendo to have reprised the role over 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. Astoundingly bad,” @markcalorian added on X.
Some have had issues with Summerall’s casting, with questions about his character’s look.
“That’s a really bad impersonation job of John Madden. How did this get greenlit?” @FBAShaka asked on X.
Amazon MGM Studios financed the movie, and Escape Artists, a company led by former Giants owner Steve Tisch, produced it.
It had an estimated budget of $75 million and is scheduled for a limited theatrical release beginning Nov. 11.
Madden, who died in 2021, was a Super Bowl-winning coach with the Oakland Raiders and moved into broadcasting in 1979 and eventually left the booth in 2009.
He 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.
Disclaimer : This story is auto aggregated by a computer programme and has not been created or edited by DOWNTHENEWS. Publisher: nypost.com
