Although two other biopics of cyclist Lance Armstrong are already said to be in the works, it is Stephen Frears’ take that seems to be racing towards the finish line first. The film, now in production, announced today that they have added Dustin Hoffman to the cast in an unspecified role. He joins the previously announced Ben Foster, Chris O’Dowd, Guillaume Canet, Jesse Plemons and Lee Pace.
Frears’ take, which does not yet have a title, will arrive from Working Title Films with Tim Bevan and Eric Fellner producing. Known for a diverse array of films like High Fidelity, The Queen and Dirty Pretty Things, Frears’ latest is the HBO telefilm Muhammad Ali’s Greatest Fight.
The previously-announced dueling Armstrong biopics include one by director Jay Roach with a screenplay by Scott Z. Burns and one from Paramount Pictures and Bad Robot Productions that adapts Juliet Macur’s non-fiction book Cycle of Lies. The documentary, The Armstrong Lie, was just announced for distribution by Sony Pictures Classics.
Best known for classics like Rain Man, Tootsie and The Graduate, Hoffman has appeared on the big screen since 2010’s Little Fockers. He did, however, provide a voice for 2011’s Kung Fu Panda 2 and headlined the short-lived HBO series “Luck.” He can next be seen as part of the ensemble cast of writer-director-star Jon Favreau’s microbudget comedy Chef.
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