Washington, Feb 8 (.) Austin Butler is set to headline a new biopic about ‘cycling’ icon Lance Armstrong, assembling a creative team packed with Academy Award–nominated talent.
The project will be directed by Conclave filmmaker Edward Berger and produced by Scott Stuber, with Oscar nominee Zach Baylin writing the screenplay, The Hollywood Reporter has confirmed.
Baylin, whose previous credits include King Richard, will chronicle the turbulent rise and fall of Armstrong, one of the most polarising figures in modern sports.
Berger will also produce the film alongside Stuber and Nick Nesbit, while Baylin, Josh Glick and Zac Frognowski are on board as executive producers. The biopic is not being developed under Stuber’s United Artists banner, as the project predates his pact and the revival of the Amazon MGM–owned label. It is currently being shopped to studio partners, with Stuber having secured Armstrong’s life rights.
Armstrong became a global superstar after winning a record seven consecutive ‘Tour de France’ titles, emerging as the most recognisable figure in professional cycling.
His legacy, however, unravelled following a 2012 investigation by the United States Anti-Doping Agency, which concluded he had used performance-enhancing drugs throughout his career. The findings led to the stripping of his titles. Armstrong denied the allegations for years before publicly admitting to doping in 2013.
Beyond cycling, Armstrong has been closely linked to cancer advocacy. After surviving testicular cancer, he founded the Livestrong Foundation, which has raised hundreds of millions of dollars for cancer research and patient support.
Butler’s upcoming slate includes Michael Mann’s Heat 2, Joseph Kosinski’s Miami Vice and Luca Guadagnino’s American Psycho.
. MI ARN