Courtesy of film distributor Studiocanal and Empire magazine, here's a pic of Lance Armstrong that you've not seen before. Except of course, it isn't.
In fact, that's actor Ben Foster who is playing Lance Armstrong in Unnamed Cycling Project, the movie by director Stephen Frears based on David Walsh's book Seven Deadly Sins: My Pursuit of Lance Armstrong.
Foster was chosen for the role in part because of his facial resemblance to Armstrong, and in a set of US Postal clothing you have to look twice to tell them apart.
As suggested by its working title, Frears and the studio have not yet decided what to call the film, which suggests they have fast-tracked it into production to get it out ahead of the other two feature movies about Armstrong in development.
Unnamed Cycling Project has been filming in France, which is believed to be the location of this image, and in London. Alongside Foster, the film will feature Chris O’Dowd from The IT Crowd as David Walsh, French actor Guillaume Canet (Tell No One) in a supporting role and Jesse Plemons, most recently seen in Breaking Bad.
If you can't wait for Unnamed Cycling Project, Alex Gibney's documentary The Armstrong Lie opens in the UK on January 31.
Two other Lance Armstrong movies are also in development. Warner Brothers has the ‘life rights’ of Tyler Hamilton as part of an Armstrong project. Hamilton’s positive tests, eventual confession of doping and subsequent book The Secret Race helped take the lid off the culture of doping in cycling in the early 2000s and at the US Postal cycling team, where he was a team-mate of Armstrong’s. Jay Roach, director of the Austin Powers films, is tipped to helm that one.
Meanwhile director JJ Abrams (Lost, Star Trek) is also working on an Armstrong movie based on the book Cycle Of Lies: The Fall Of Lance Armstrong by New York Times sportswriter Juliet Macur. Abrams is rumoured to have spoken to actor Bradley Cooper (Silver Linings Playbook) about taking on the Armstrong role.

12 thoughts on “First image from Stephen Frears’ Lance Armstrong movie”
Hang on a second. Lance
Hang on a second. Lance cheated??
Of course not, he ‘levelled
Of course not, he ‘levelled the playing field’…
He does look like Lance in
He does look like Lance in the pic above, but the arms are a bit chunky.
They’ll probably call it
They’ll probably call it something boring like Tour de Lance
Too fat.
Too fat.
I preferred him in Dodgeball.
I preferred him in Dodgeball.
Ben Foster on an immaculate
Ben Foster on an immaculate Trek, how did the 90’s get so retro? Some bike/kit consultant is getting paid well. Few pennies for the Graham Watson archive?
I honestly hope this movie blows the other projects out of the water. We WILL get a Lance movie whether we want it or not, but Ben Foster can act and looks exactly the part and can probably do the voice (Yuma.) No need for multiple stories surely.
I’m sure he’ll get thin when
I’m sure he’ll get thin when they start the mountain stages. He does look like a ringer for Mr Drugstrong, once he’s lost the lard.
Will I go see it……. 😕 Errrr probably it’s like watching a car crash; y’know yer shouldn’t but yer just carn’t help it.
Wonder how much Lance is
Wonder how much Lance is getting for all of these movies about him.
Just credit for something, at
Just credit for something, at last.
He’s a tad muscular to be
He’s a tad muscular to be Lance but really is a striking resemblance. I wonder what the availability of all of the Lance movies will be at launch?
Just found this striking new
Just found this striking new image; too muscular you say? 😕
Not in the leg department.