ESPN’s Lance Armstrong 30 For 30 Airs Sunday; Armstrong Reportedly Unhappy With the Documentary

As the hype from Michael Jordan’s The Last Dance starts to subside, many are yearning the next sports story. But, according to reports, ESPN is back with another iconic doc, this time, focusing on disgraced cyclist Lance Armstrong.⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀

ESPN’s 30 for 30 doc, LANCE, the story about former road racing cyclist, Lance Armstrong, is set to air on the network the next two Sundays in the same slot as Michael Jordan and the Chicago Bulls’ The Last Dance.

Although it sounds like the two-part film is complete and ready to go, according to USA Today, Armstrong isn’t happy with the finished product.

The director of the film, Marina Zenovich, told USA Today that she hasn’t spoken to Armstrong in months.

“We went to toe to toe on a couple of issues in the film, and I haven’t talked to him,” Zenovich said. “I don’t want to go into details, but I was very clear with him that I was going to make the film that needed to be made. And I did. I think he’s processing that.”

For LANCE, Armstrong sat down and was interviewed for the documentary; however, he had no creative say in the editorial process, Zenovich explained.

“I think he liked parts of it,” Zenovich continued. “I think other parts of it were hard for him to see. I think if he was 100%, I wouldn’t have done my job properly.”⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀

“We’ve always been interested in examining Lance Armstrong, not just as an example of a sports doping story, but also within the context of wanting to understand the man and what led to his decisions and actions,” said Libby Geist, who is both vice president and executive producer for ESPN Films and Original Content. “Marina Zenovich has done some of the great character studies in all of documentary film. When she took an interest in uncovering the depths of Armstrong’s story, we were all in.”

Zenovich also revealed that Armstrong wasn’t paid for his involvement and time in the upcoming documentary, however she thinks he enjoyed the experience regardless.

“We got along. I think, to be honest, for someone like him, who has gone through a lot of therapy, I think on some level he enjoyed the tough questioning. And it’s kind of like a game, where it’s like an elaborate fencing match. He’s trying to control. I’m trying to go deeper,” Zenovich added.

Part 1 of the film airs this Sunday and will highlight Armstrong’s “Texas roots, his battle with cancer and his journey to the first of seven consecutive Tour de France victories in 1999.”

Part 2 will air the following week on May 31 and cover topics such as “how his doping, deceit, and bullying eventually helped bring him down.”

Each part is two hours and will feature interviews with family members, former teammates, and journalists.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YUsakV8RzZo&t=4s