You knew this one was coming: as scandal-ridden cyclist Lance Armstrong spilled his guts to Oprah Winfrey on US TV, someone was already planning a film about his epic rise and equally rapid fall. That someone is actually two someones: JJ Abrams and Bryan Burk, who have snapped up the rights to Juliet Macur’s book Cycle Of Lies: The Fall Of Lance Armstrong.

Actually, we say book, but in keeping with so many of these page-based film adaptations, it’s still only a proposal at this point. Macur certainly has the necessary background knowledge, however, having covered Armstrong’s career for the New York Times across more than a decade.

The Armstrong story is certainly a captivating one, and it’s not the first time that someone has tried to make a film about his life and achievements. Sadly for him, all the previous versions, which would have chronicled his Tour De France victories, Olympic medals and struggle with cancer, have been shelved and Paramount will instead be developing this post-doping revelations version of the story.

Right now, there’s no one aboard to write and direct, let alone star – though Jake Gyllenhaal was attached to Sony’s previous take on the man and Matt Damon had been talked about. Who will be playing the disgraced Armstrong? We’ll have to wait and see. But perhaps a bigger question: will Vince Vaughn cameo if they cover Armstrong in Dodgeball?