Eli Manning has a message for Glen Powell about his football skills.
The former NFL quarterback, 43, took to social media on Thursday, February 22, after it was reported that Powell, 35, will star in an upcoming half-hour Hulu comedy series titled Chad Powers.
“I hope Glen is working on his QB skills,” Manning wrote via X. “I saw him throw a football in Maverick…he has some work to do!!”
Powell will cowrite the pilot with Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness screenwriter Michael Waldron. He’s set to star as the titular Chad Powers on the show, which is based on the character Manning created for his EPSN+ docuseries Eli’s Places. Manning wore a wig and makeup to watch the football tryouts for Penn State in the 2021 series.
A description for the Chad Powers series says, “When bad behavior nukes hotshot QB Russ Holliday’s (Powell) college career, he disguises himself and walks onto a struggling Southern football team as the talented, affable Chad Powers.”
Powell and Waldron celebrated their upcoming collaboration in a joint statement. “We’re both diehard college football fans. When we saw Eli as Chad Powers, we knew that was the way into a big, fun story about this world,” the twosome noted. “We’re excited to be part of this team, and can’t wait to get Chad in the game. Think fast, run fast.”
Manning and his brother Peyton Manning will also serve as executive producers through their Omaha Productions company. Other executive producers include Jamie Horowitz, Ben Brown and Adam Fasullo from Waldron’s Anomaly Pictures, along with ESPN.
Eli noted in his own statement that “the love for Chad Powers has surprised me in spectacular ways,” adding, “I played 16 years in the NFL, but now when I’m in a restaurant or walking through an airport, it’s not uncommon for fans to scream, ‘Hey Chad!’”
He continued: “I’m so excited to team up with my friends Glen Powell, Michael Waldron and Omaha Productions to continue to tell the Chad Powers story and see what he does next.”
Eli spent his entire NFL career as the quarterback for the New York Giants, playing 16 seasons from 2004 to 2019. He led his team to two Super Bowl wins in 2007 and 2011 and was named the Super Bowl MVP of both games.
“This sport has very few real farewells. It’s impossible to explain the satisfaction, and actually the joy I’ve experienced being a Giant,” Eli said upon announcing his retirement in January 2020. “From the very first moment, I did it my way. I couldn’t be someone other than who I am.”
Powell, meanwhile, left an impression on fans thanks to his memorable football moment in the 2022 Top Gun sequel. Director Joseph Kosinski revealed last month that Powell gave his all while filming the beach scene.
“The actors were in a very kind of stressed out state, they’d all been working so hard to get ready for that scene. … I remember Glen went out 110 percent on the first play and hurt himself, but luckily recovered quickly and we were able to get a great version of it,” he told IndieWire.
