Oscar-nominated actor Austin Butler is set to play the role of disgraced cyclist Lance Armstrong in a new biopic.
According to The deadlinethe package has sparked a “nervous” bidding war in Hollywood with Conclave director Edward Berger at the helm and King Richard’s Zach Baylin set to write the script.
Producer Scott Stuber, who recently worked on Springsteen: Deliver Me From Nowhere, worked to secure Armstrong’s life rights for a while and a deal was finally agreed upon. Armstrong will be involved in the film but will not have a producing credit.
The hope is that the film will be a cross between F1 and The Wolf of Wall Street. Brad Pitt’s smash hit racing drama just scored four Oscar nominations, including a surprise best picture nod.
Armstrong became an international star after winning the Tour de France on seven consecutive occasions between 1998 and 2005. But an investigation in 2012 stripped him of his titles when it was found that he had used performance-enhancing drugs. He received a lifetime ban from the sport.
His story was previously told in Stephen Frears’ 2015 drama The Program, in which he was played by Ben Foster. The film was a box office disappointment and received mixed reviews. The Guardian’s Peter Bradshaw called it “workmanlike” in a three-star review.
Since receiving a best actor nomination for his role in Elvis, Butler has starred in The Bikeriders, Eddington, Dune: Part Two, and Caught Stealing. He was attached to play Patrick Bateman in Luca Guadagnino’s take on American Psycho and will next be seen in the crime thriller Enemies with Jeremy Allen White.
Berger followed the critical and commercial success of the papal thriller Conclave with the Netflix drama Ballad of a Small Player starring Colin Farrell. This week, he begins filming an adaptation of Tim Winton’s acclaimed novel The Riders starring Brad Pitt.
As well as writing the Oscar-nominated script for King Richard, Baylin’s credits include Creed III, Gran Turismo, Bob Marley: One Love and the recent Netflix series Black Rabbit.