Chris O'Dowd and Ben Foster to star in Seven Deadly Sins Armstrong film

Irish Actor Chris O'Dowd will play Sunday Times' journalist David Walsh in a film version of the book about the writer's dogged pursuit of one of sport's most notorious characters, Lance Armstrong, to be played by Ben Foster.

The Stephen Frears directed film – yet to be named – will be based on Walsh's book Seven Deadly Sins, which charts the journalist's pursuit of the bullish Texan he first met on a rest day of the 1993 Tour de France. Armstrong survived testicular cancer and doped his way to seven Tour de France titles of which he was stripped in 2012.

According to film website Deadline, O'Dowd, who played roles in the film Bridesmaids and popular TV sitcom the IT Crowd, will be supported by Breaking Bad actor Jesse Plemons.

Next month another Armstrong movie, The Armstrong Lie by documentary filmmaker Alex Gibney, will premier in America.