Stephen Frears and Working Title now look to be the closest to getting a movie version of Lance Armstrong’s rise and fall from grace to the big screen with the casting of Ben Foster as the famed cyclist. Despite Jay Roach and J.J. Abrams working on adaptations of the disgraced Tour de France champion’s life, it is DANGEROUS LIASIONS, HIGH FIDELITY, and DIRTY PRETTY THINGS director Frears who has momentum building for his take on the scandal.
Deadline says the Frears film is moving quickly and may shoot this fall if everything works out with Foster. The film will focus on Armstrong’s triumphant return from testicular cancer through his record-breaking wins at the Tour through his eventual admission to cheating.
Foster is one hell of an actor and blew me away with his role in James Mangold‘s 3:10 TO YUMA. He has also been building buzz with parts in AIN’T THEM BODIES SAINTS and KILL YOUR DARLINGS, both successes on the festival circuit and sure to be remembered come awards season. Foster may also be an early favorite for a potential Oscar for playing Armstrong simply because the Academy loves fact-based stories. The two look somewhat alike, but I would trust Foster to make this part his own. I mean, he would be a better fit than Bradley Cooper, right?
