Bradley Cooper Officially Joins Lance Armstrong Pic ‘Red Blooded American’

Bradley Cooper has officially signed on for the Lance Armstrong biopic Red Blooded American.

Deadline reports that the 38-year-old Silver Linings Playbook star has nabbed a role in the still in-development film, and will also join as a producer. The report suggests that Cooper will play a major role in the film, but it was unclear whether he’d be taking the lead tole as Lance Armstrong.

The two major characters in the film are Armstrong and Tyler Hamilton, Armstrong’s friend and former teammate. Hamilton famously appeared on 60 Minutes and confessed that Armstrong had used banned performance-enhancing substances. The falling out between the two cyclists became a focal point in the Armstrong PED story.

Red Blooded American is one of two Lance Armstrong films in development in Hollywood. This version will be headed up by Jay Roach and produced by Warner Bros., but there’s also a J.J. Abrams version of Armstrong’s tale in development at Paramount and Working Title. Stephen Frears is poised to take on the Tour de France champ’s film for those studios, and Ben Foster has been cast as Armstrong in that version.

Abrams reportedly approached Cooper for a role in his own Armstrong film, but the actor later denied that report.

Back in January while promoting Silver Linings Playbook, Cooper expressed his desire to portray the fallen cyclist in a feature film. “I think he’s fascinating. What a fascinating character,” he said.

Do you think that Bradley Cooper will play Lance Armstrong in Red Blooded American? If not, which actor do you think would be best for the role?

[Image: Shutterstock]