The Lance Armstrong documentary into the Texan’s return to the sport, his attempt to win another Tour de France and then his long, gradual descent into doping limbo has moved a step closer to release with the news that it has been given a name and secured a distribution deal.
Originally anticipated to be a positive, somewhat feel-good movie, based on initial indications from producer Frank Marshall, the tone has changed completely.
Now named ‘The Armstrong Lie,’ the documentary will be distributed by Sony Pictures Classics. It does not depict the return to glory that his fans had hoped for, but rather traces how he went from being one of the most admired sporting icons to an individual with little credibility.
After years of denial, Armstrong finally admitted to the long-term use of banned doping products during an interview with Oprah Winfrey in January.
"On this long-distance ride, full of unpredictable twists and turns, I learned a lot about one spectacular sport - cycling - as well as the ethic of winning at all costs that pervades most sports and society-at-large,” said director Alex Gibney in an announcement of the distribution deal.
“I'm very proud of the final film, grateful for the support and skill of my fellow producers and the legendary distribution team at Sony Pictures Classic.”
Gibney won an Oscar in 2007 for his film Taxi to the Dark Side. More recently he directed Mea Maxima Culpa, an investigation into the Catholic Church’s handling of abuse scandals, and the Wikileaks film We Steal Secrets.
He began filming Armstrong in 2009 when the Texan returned, and followed him for four years. His footage will include his preparation for the 2009 and 2010 Tours, the races themselves and also the fallout afterwards.
“We set out to make a movie about a comeback -- with unlimited and unprecedented access to Armstrong and the inner-workings of the Tour de France,” said the producers Frank Marshall and Matt Tolmach. “Along the way, we ended up chronicling the collapse of one of the greatest myths and legends of our time.”
“Alex Gibney has made an amazing movie, more revealing and with greater detail, than anything yet seen on the major controversial subject we know as Lance Armstrong,” stated Sony Pictures Classics, the distributors.
No release date has as yet been set for the film. It is described as something which went from being “a chronicle of a comeback,” to being “became an examination into the anatomy of a lie.”