New trailer for Stephen Frears' Lance Armstrong thriller

Sports biopics most often tell the story of an individual’s rise to greatness, how they struggled against the odds to make it to the top, and without the relentless investigations of Irish sports journalist David Walsh, that could have been the story of Lance Armstrong’s biopic. Instead, The Program chronicles Armstrong’s fall from grace after becoming the poster boy for cycling, when it is revealed his Tour de France victories have been fueled by banned substances, and it doesn’t stop there…

The Program, directed by Stephen Frears is inspired by Walsh’s book on Armstrong, Seven Deadly Sins, and stars Ben Foster as Armstrong, and Chris O’Dowd as Walsh. Although the fascinating true-life story of Armstrong’s rise and fall has been covered in numerous documentaries, including the brilliant The Armstrong Lie, this will be the first fictionalised big screen outing.

The Program also stars Guillaume Canet, Jesse Plemons, Lee Pace, Denis Ménochet, Edward Hogg, Bryan Greenberg, Elaine Cassidy, and Dustin Hoffman.

The Program will be released later in the year, likely to tie in nicely with awards season.