Austin Butler in talks to play Lance Armstrong in biopic

It’s been four years since Austin Butler stepped into the shoes of the king of rock and roll in Elvis and earned an Oscar nomination. He is now set to take on the life story of Lance Armstrong in an untitled biopic to be directed by Conclave and All Quiet on the Western Front filmmaker Edward Berger, with a script by King Richard’s Zach Baylin.

Butler is in final talks to portray Armstrong, whose cycling career ended after an investigation confirmed the seven-time Tour de France winner had used performance-enhancing drugs. The fallout led to Armstrong being stripped of his titles and receiving a lifetime ban from all sanctioned bicycling events.

The life rights were acquired by former Netflix film chief Scott Stuber, who is producing and drew a bidding war among studios. The project was already in motion before Stuber signed a first-look deal with United Artists, meaning the Amazon-owned studio can submit a bid but may not be the one that ultimately secures it.

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