Ben Foster is reportedly working on a deal to play Lance Armstrong in a biopic being developed about the controversial cyclist.
Director Stephen Frears (The Queen) is developing the film with Working Title with a script being written by John Hodge (Trance).
According to Deadline, Foster is in final talks to star as Armstrong in a film about his storied (for better and for worse) career.
Armstrong has made headlines for over two decades, surviving testicular cancer to win an unprecedented seven Tour De France titles, only to have them stripped away after a large-scale doping scandal.
The film would reportedly focus on the time from Armstrong’s cancer ordeal through the recent scandal that stripped him of his titles.
Foster, who has consistently turned in critically acclaimed performances (3:10 to Yuma, The Messenger) has remained just shy of “household name” status over the years.
While the film could prove to be a welcomed catapult for Foster, unsurprisingly it is not the only Armstrong film in the works.
Warner Bros is currently working on an untitled project about the cyclist with Jay Roach (Meet the Parents, Game Change) attached to direct and writer Scott Z. Burns (Contagion, Side Effects) set to pen the script.
Warner Bros also owns the life rights to Armstrong’s teammate and media opponent Tyler Hamilton. Hamilton infamously broke his silence on the doping issue, aiding in Armstrong’s downfall.
Another report has the forever-busy J.J. Abrams talking to the equally busy Bradley Cooper about starring in an Armstrong feature from Paramount and Bad Robot.
If all of those films were not enough, Sony Pictures Classics will also release a documentary about the scandal titled, The Armstrong Lie.
It may be a long time before all of these films get made, and more than likely one or more of them may never see the light of day, but we’ll keep our eyes and ears open for any updates.