Hollywood actor Austin Butler is set to play the role of the disgraced cycling star Lance Armstrong in an upcoming film directed by Edward Berger, the filmmaker behind All Quiet on the Western Front and Conclave, as per US media reports.

According to Deadline, the film is being produced by former Netflix film chief Scott Stuber under the United Artists banner.

However, it has reportedly sparked a bidding war among major studios and streaming platforms.

The Deadline report mentions that the film is expected to chronicle Armstrong’s life and career, tracing both the highs of his dominance in professional cycling and the dramatic fall from grace following the doping scandal that ended his career.

The script will be written by Zach Baylin of King Richard fame. It will combine elements of Brad Pitt's F1 The Movie and Martin Scorsese’s hit films Raging Bull and Wolf of Wall Street.

Previously, Ben Foster essayed the role of Armstrong in the 2015 film The Program, which was released to a limited audience.

Butler recently starred in Darren Aronofsky’s Caught Stealing. In 2022 he earned an Oscar nomination for the film Elvis. He will be next seen in the crime drama Enemies alongside Jeremy Allen White.

Berger recently helmed Ballad of a Small Player, which starred Colin Farrell. He is set to direct The Riders, an adaptation of Tim Winston’s novel.