In a fiercely contested auction among top studios, Apple Original Films has clinched the rights to the untitled Lance Armstrong project, with Austin Butler set to star as Armstrong, per Deadline.
Edward Berger is directing the feature, with King Richard scribe Zach Baylin penning the spec. Apple Studios will serve as the studio, with Scott Stuber and Nick Nesbitt producing along with Berger. Josh Glick and Zac Frognowski will serve as executive producers alongside Baylin.
Deadline first reported that the package hit the market earlier this month and added that Stuber has been working for some time to get Armstrong’s life rights… After receiving nearly half a dozen offers for the package, Apple ultimately delivered the winning bid.
Prior to relaunching United Artists and setting a deal with Amazon, there were a handful of films Stuber was planning to produce separately — and this project was one of them.
The new film, which combines elements of F1: The Movie and Martin Scorsese’s Raging Bull and The Wolf of Wall Street, will cover the life and career of Armstrong, capturing all the highs and lows.
MacDailyNews Take: Apple is smart to have bid whatever it took to land this one. Armstrong’s story*, in the right hands, has the potential to produce a film classic. (Which reminds us, when will somebody finally do a proper Steve Jobs film?)
*Blood doping (including EPO injections and/or blood transfusions) artificially boosts red blood cell count to deliver more oxygen to muscles, enhancing endurance and recovery in grueling events like the Tour de France.
In the late 1990s–2000s, professional cycling was rife with doping (the “peloton” was heavily using EPO and similar methods, as seen in scandals like the 1998 Festina affair). Armstrong believed he had no choice but to participate to remain competitive at the elite level and win — doping was viewed as “leveling the playing field” rather than gaining an unfair edge, since virtually everyone at the top was doing it.
As his legend grew (7 straight Tour wins, cancer-survivor hero status, massive fame, thriving foundation, etc.), when doping was alleged, he felt forced to lie aggressively to protect that image, sponsorships, legacy, and the Livestrong foundation — admitting it would destroy everything built.
Without his ego-driven comeback (racing the 2009–2010 Tours), earlier suspicions might have faded without fresh blood data scrutiny, leaving his reputation largely intact; the high-profile return invited renewed testing and his eventual downfall via USADA evidence.
Please help support MacDailyNews — and enjoy subscriber-only articles, comments, chat, and more — by subscribing to our Substack: macdailynews.substack.com. Thank you!
Support MacDailyNews at no extra cost to you by using this link to shop at Amazon.
Zac Frognowski?
Does he go by the nickname, ” The Fr–“, ohhh never mind.