Lance Armstrong went from an American hero to the most hated man in America when it was revealed that he had blood doped and cheated in order to win his record seven Tour de France titles, but had also lied to everyone while off the bike that he was clean. It culminated in a revealing interview between Lance and Oprah and a documentary film called The Armstrong Lie by Alex Gibney.
Now for the first time Lance’s story is being told in a dramatic fiction form, exposing his lie and all that led up to it. Will Stephen Frears’s movie help the cyclist earn some of his credibility back, or will it make him even more of the villain?
Ben Foster portrays Lance in The Program, Armstrong’s story after recovering from cancer up through his Tour victories and till his lie was revealed, all filtered through a journalist (Chris O’Dowd in a dramatic turn) who suspected him of being a cheat. Here’s the full synopsis:
From Academy Award® nominated director Stephen Frears (The Queen, Philomena) and producers Working Title (The Theory Of Everything, Everest, Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy), comes the true story of the meteoric rise and fall of one of the most celebrated and controversial men in recent history, Lance Armstrong. Based on the award winning book “Seven Deadly Sins” by David Walsh, and featuring a stellar cast including Ben Foster, Chris O’Dowd, Guillaume Canet (Tell No One) and Jesse Plemons (Breaking Bad), this tense and suspenseful thriller looks at how one of the greatest deceptions in the modern era was uncovered while Armstrong convinced the world he was a hero, winning the Tour de France seven times.
The Program opens September 23 in France and October 8 in Germany but does not yet have an American release date. Watch the trailer below: