The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug star Lee Pace has joined the cast of StudioCanal and Working Title Films’ upcoming untitled Lance Armstrong biopic, TheWrap reports. His role has not yet been disclosed, but he’s set to join Ben Foster, Chris O’Dowd, Guillaume Canet and Jesse Plemons in the Stephen Frears film.
The film charts the thrilling rise of pro-cyclist Lance Armstrong through the 90s and early 2000s, battling cancer, as he and his fellow American teammates dominate and change the quintessentially European sport of cycling. Winning the Tour de France an unprecedented seven times, Lance retires as one of the great sporting heroes of our time, and worth millions of dollars. David Walsh, sports writer, is at first charmed by Lance’s charisma and talent. Seven Tours later, and ostracised by the cycling community for speaking out, he believes the world is being sold a lie. A lone voice, it is several years before Lance is exposed.
The film is written by John Hodge, based on the book “Seven Deadly Sins: My Pursuit of Lance Armstrong” by Sunday Times journalist and Chief Sports Writer, David Walsh (played by O’Dowd in the film). The film will shoot on location in France and the UK.
