Christian Bale opens up about playing Raiders owner Al Davis in ‘Madden’ movie

With the 2026 NFL season in full swing, Las Vegas Raiders fans have an additional treat to look forward to in the form of David O. Russell’s new movie Madden , which features Christian Bale in a supporting role playing the late, great Al Davis . Stopping by SportsCenter to talk about the role with ESPN’s Kevin Negandhi, Bale broke down what it’s like to fill the shoes of such an iconic NFL figure and why Davis is much more complicated than some might think. “Yeah, I mean, the man never backed down from a fight, loved to fight.