It seems the on-again, off-again Lance Armstrong biopic is back on track.
According to a flurry of movie-industry Web sites, Armstrong’s return to competition has put fresh legs into efforts by Hollywood producer and director Frank Marshall to create a full-length movie about the seven-time Tour de France champion’s life.
According to a report on The Hollywood Reporter, Gary Ross, who penned and directed the Oscar-nominee film, “Seabiscuit,” has been hired to write a draft of an Armstrong script.
“We got inspired by his comeback, and we were able to (get going again),” Marshall was quoted. “The story of Armstrong's improbable comeback from illness to win seven consecutive Tour de France titles — and his capturing of the American imagination in doing so — carries echoes of ‘Seabiscuit.’”
Marshall — known for producing such successful franchises as “Indiana Jones,” “Back to the Future” and the Jason Bourne series — has been trying to get an Armstrong biopic off the ground for the past several years.
Marshall traveled to the Tour to watch Armstrong’s final victory in 2005 and despite reports that such actors as Matthew Damon and Jake Gyllenhaal were linked to the role, the project never quite took off.
Armstrong’s comeback decision and imminent return to the Tour in July has put fresh energy into the project, according to reports.
The movie will take inspiration from the Sally Jenkins 2000 biography title, “It’s Not About the Bike,” which traces Armstrong’s story from his troubled Texas childhood, his fight with cancer in 1996, his comeback and his first Tour victory in 1999.
Armstrong is also working with documentary filmmaker Alex Gibney, who was at the recent Giro d’Italia shooting footage for a film. Gibney won an Oscar and is best known for his directorial work in “Enron: The Smartest Guys in the Room.”
According to a flurry of movie-industry Web sites, Armstrong’s return to competition has put fresh legs into efforts by Hollywood producer and director Frank Marshall to create a full-length movie about the seven-time Tour de France champion’s life.
According to a report on The Hollywood Reporter, Gary Ross, who penned and directed the Oscar-nominee film, “Seabiscuit,” has been hired to write a draft of an Armstrong script.
“We got inspired by his comeback, and we were able to (get going again),” Marshall was quoted. “The story of Armstrong's improbable comeback from illness to win seven consecutive Tour de France titles — and his capturing of the American imagination in doing so — carries echoes of ‘Seabiscuit.’”
Marshall — known for producing such successful franchises as “Indiana Jones,” “Back to the Future” and the Jason Bourne series — has been trying to get an Armstrong biopic off the ground for the past several years.
Marshall traveled to the Tour to watch Armstrong’s final victory in 2005 and despite reports that such actors as Matthew Damon and Jake Gyllenhaal were linked to the role, the project never quite took off.
Armstrong’s comeback decision and imminent return to the Tour in July has put fresh energy into the project, according to reports.
The movie will take inspiration from the Sally Jenkins 2000 biography title, “It’s Not About the Bike,” which traces Armstrong’s story from his troubled Texas childhood, his fight with cancer in 1996, his comeback and his first Tour victory in 1999.
Armstrong is also working with documentary filmmaker Alex Gibney, who was at the recent Giro d’Italia shooting footage for a film. Gibney won an Oscar and is best known for his directorial work in “Enron: The Smartest Guys in the Room.”
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