Hulu
By now you’ve probably seen the photos. You know, the ones of Glen Powell on a football field with long blond hair getting booed by 90,000 fans at a Georgia stadium? The memorable scenes may have unfolded in October 2024. Still, I – I mean fans – haven’t really stopped thinking about his transformation into a full-blown football player, and now we finally have more details about his upcoming project Chad Powers.
Is Chad Powers a real story?
Glen Powell’s new football series Chad Powers is not about a real footballer, but that doesn’t mean the role doesn’t have some serious history. The new series is inspired by Eli Manning’s ESPN+ docuseries Eli’s Places which was released in 2022.
The show followed the former quarterback as he participated in Penn State’s walk-on football tryouts in disguise, and thus the character Chad Powers was born, with Eli completing his transformation with a wig and prosthetic makeup.
Who is Chad Powers in the NFL?
So whilst Chad Powers may not actually be a real NFL player, what is the new show about? Looking at the first trailer, we got a pretty good idea – and it seems, the story is sticking pretty close to Eli’s experience.
Glen Powell portrays quarterback Russ Holliday in the show, who disguises himself as a fictional person and walks onto a struggling football team in the South after bad behaviour tanks his college career.
“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,” Glen and co-creator Michael Waldron said in a February 2024 joint statement. “We’re excited to be part of this team, and can’t wait to get Chad in the game. Think fast, run fast.”
Eli himself is serving as an executive producer on the project and has praised Glen’s portrayal of Chad Powers.
“I thought he looked unbelievable. I mean, he looked terrible, which is hard for Glen to look really bad. He looked bad like I did!” he told Us Weekly in September 2024. “I’ve been talking to him, working with him a little bit in the offseason and to get him ready. And he’s fired up to play quarterback and to play Chad. He’s gonna do a great job. I can’t wait to see him in action.”
Eli also admitted he wasn’t expecting his skit to turn into an entire show.
“Who would’ve ever known?” he added. “I thought it was a funny idea: ‘Go and try out for a Penn State football team. Have a little fun.’ I hadn’t played football in a couple years, and so [I wanted to] see if I can still throw it and go back out there and compete. And now it’s turning into a show on Hulu. I mean, it’s unbelievable.”
Is Chad Powers out yet?
At this stage, the 10-episode season is set for release in ‘fall 2025,’ so we’ll have to wait a bit longer. Being a Hulu production, Aussie audiences can expect to watch the show on Disney+ when it does reach our shores, but we’ll keep you updated when we learn any more details.
