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news
Matt Damon (Nicolas Genin, Wikimedia Commons)Matt Damon tipped to play Lance Armstrong in film adaptation of The Secret Race
Matt Damon, once touted to play Lance Armstrong in a film based on It’s Not About The Bike back when that book was still thought of as a factual biography rather than a work of semi-fiction, is now being seen as frontrunner to play the disgraced cyclist in a movie giving a slightly different version of his career.
Damon, known for playing such uncompromising characters as amnesiac assassin Jason Bourne and the identity thief-cum-psychopath Tom Ripley, is widely tipped to play Armstrong in a film based on Tyler Hamilton and Daniel Coyle’s book, The Secret Race.
The book was published in early September days after the United States Anti Doping Agency announced that it had banned Armstrong for life and stripped him of results including his seven Tour de France titles.
It’s now being reported that Damon – at 42, some 11 months older than Armstrong is now, and a good deal older than the Texan was in his prime, but nothing the make-up department and a bit of good old Hollywood magic can't fix - is in line to take the lead role.
However, one industry insider quoted in The Sun said that the absence of a happy ending – for Armstrong, presumably – may prove problematic.
“Most sports films end in an inspirational victory,” said the unnamed source. “It’s hard to work out what the ending would be.
“Lance was a hero before this scandal. The current ending is too depressing. It would be a more appealing story with a more hopeful final act.”
There have of course been plenty of factually based movies that don’t necessarily end with everyone living happily ever after – The Titanic, for example, or to cite one from Armstrong’s home state Texas, The Alamo (although ultimately, the Mexicans did lose).
While it was Damon who was originally viewed as the prime candidate to take on the role of Armstrong had It’s Not About The Bike ever made it into production, it was another actor, Jake Gyllenhaal who later emerged as the favourite to portray him.
In 2006, the Donnie Darko and Brokeback Mountain star even rode alongside Armstrong in the Discovery Channel team car following Yaroslav Popovych in the individual time trial on the penultimate day’s time trial in the Tour de France.
The following day would see Armstrong's former US Postal team mate Floyd Landis seal his overall victory - later, he'd be stripped of that title and of course was one of USADA's prime witneses in its recent investigation.
Armstrong, together with his agent Bill Stapleton, was also reported to have met with Tour de France director Jean-Marie le Blanc and his successor Christian Prudhomme to talk about permission to feature the race in the film, which was being developed by Sony.
Gyllenhaal himself became a big convert to cycling when preparing for a role he would never play, and last year promised a journalist from Men’s Journal magazine a “really fucking hard climb” in an interview conducted on a bike ride around the Hollywood Hills, as you do when promoting your latest movie.
So, assuming the rumours are correct, has the casting director got it spot on in selecting Damon for the Armstrong role? And what about the supporting roles - Hamilton, Landis, Hein Verbruggen, Johan Bruyneel, Michele Ferrari and Motoman? Who should play them?
Let's hear your suggestions in the comments below...
Simon joined road.cc as news editor in 2009 and is now the site’s community editor, acting as a link between the team producing the content and our readers. A law and languages graduate, published translator and former retail analyst, he has reported on issues as diverse as cycling-related court cases, anti-doping investigations, the latest developments in the bike industry and the sport’s biggest races. Now back in London full-time after 15 years living in Oxford and Cambridge, he loves cycling along the Thames but misses having his former riding buddy, Elodie the miniature schnauzer, in the basket in front of him.
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52 comments
Why not Steve Bushemi as Jonathan Vaugtners?
John Malcovich as Marco Pantani
Chuckle borthers as Pat and Verbruggan?
It might work as a Western:
Gollom, as drug cheat Kid Armstrong, walks into the bike shop, sorry, onto the ranch and watches riders in the corale on wild bikes, sorry, stallions and says, "Mister, I can tame that wild beast over yonder, for ya!".
"Hey, everyone! Listen to this!" the head coach, sorry, wrangler calls out to the other riders, "The kid, here, reckons he can tame ol'Trek!" Hoots of derision follow
"Ok, kid. Well, wadya waitin' for?" the head wrangler gestures to Kid Armstrong and ol'Trek.
A determined-looking Kid Armstrong saunters into the corale and, after looking ol'Trek clean in the handle-bar, I mean eye, jumps aboard ol'Trek.
Well, ol'Trek fought and fought but Kid Gollom, I mean Armstrong, held on tight and tamed the steed.
"Well, Tex, you've got the gig! Start on Monday," said the head wrangler.
"Why thank you, sir," said Kid Armstrong. "Mind if I bring along my own performance-enhancing drugs?"
Yee-haa!!
Meryl Street as Armstrong in 'Swindlers Test'
Actually, old rubber lips himself, Rowan Atkinson, as Tommy "The Gargoyle" Voeckler
Christopher Lee as Dr Moral or Dr Ferrari ... or, in fact, as any evil doctor-type as long as he wears a cape and has those pointy teeth
Ewan McGregor as Lance. He did OK in Trainspotting.
Brad Davis (that guy from Midnight Express) always seemed to me like Lance's twin brother:
http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0001113/
http://media.tumblr.com/tumblr_m41dp8s7NW1r9xykx.jpg
Kevin Costner after his sterling performance in American Flyers. Must be a role for him in there somewhere!
Enough already!
Andy Murray as Lance Armstrong ....
seeing as cycling is so easy
Robin Williams in crazy mode as Dr Ferrari.
Actually I think it could be the next Muppet Movie...
Liam Neeson studied and worked in Dublin for a while. I bet he could do a pretty good south-side Dub accent if cast as McQuaid.
Angelina Jolie as Betsy Andreu.
Sylvester Stallone as Paul Kimmage.
Schwarzenegger as Jens Voigt.
Javier Bardem for Contador. No, wait, that won't work. Bardem's a good actor.
Chuck Norris as Jens Voigt.
Or would that lead to an 'unstoppable force meets unmoveable object' scenario?
Rob
James Franco, definitly, for Lance Armstrong
Sean Kelly or Stephen Roche to play Mcqaid. Paul Weller to play Bradley Wiggins in a 'Back to the Future' type of ending, where the UCI is headed by Bradley Wiggins and Dave Brailsford. I'm sure make up could do something with Ross Kemp (Grant Mitchell, East Enders)
John Goodman for Pat McQuaid
John Travolta for Armstrong
Floyd Landis as the Ugandan Goldmine
(http://velonews.competitor.com/2002/07/news/cycling-biggies-invest-in-ug...)
Greg LeMond can play the fan whose souvenir musette bag snagged Armstrong's brake lever and caused him to crash in the 2003 Tour.
Levi Leipheimer as Phil Ligget
Phil Ligget as Levi Leipheimer
It will need a cameo by lemond, in the background shouting he's lying, he's lying to you all, sorry gotta take this call from trek
Cleetus the slack-jawed yokel from the Simpsons as Landis
Cartman from South Park as Pat McQuaid
Beavis as The Great Cornholio, to play a dosed-up Armstrong ... "Are you threatening me?! I need E-Po for my bunghole!"
May as well make it a cartoon )
Do you think Robin Williams will play himself - or is he still in denial?
Sean Penn as Tyler Hamilton
Kid Rock as Floyd Landis
Alec Baldwin as Pat McQuaid
Jon Voight as Hein Verbruggen
Bez from The Happy Mondays as Sean Yates?
It's gotta be Christopher Walken as Bruyneel.
Fozzy Bear as Landis
Inspector Clousseau as the bungling French police Chief.Might explain a few things.
In structure, this is a mob movie not a sports movie*. As such, it does not need a happy ending, although it's going to finish off pretty much where Blood Diamond did.
It needs a cast of young, fit guys in the riding roles. Gyllenhaal would be OK, I also want Ryan Reynolds and Ryan Gosling for it.
*in the same way that Drive is actually a Western.
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