In 2009, Gibney was given unprecedented access to both the Tour de France and Armstrong, one of the most prominent figures in sports, to document the athlete’s return to cycling following his 2005 retirement. However, the story ended up being much more than a comeback tale. After years of denying allegations of doping and condemning ex-cyclists who were guilty of using performance-enhancing drugs, Armstrong became the center of a federal criminal investigation and an investigation by the US Anti-Doping Agency. As a result, the “ultimate comeback story” came to a halt.
Given this new information, the filmmakers decided that instead of chronicling the athlete’s comeback, The Armstrong Lie would be filled with new interviews from Armstrong himself, his former teammates, as well as cycling experts, emerging as an insider’s view and chronicle of Armstrong’s collapse.
The Blu-ray and DVD include exclusive commentary from the Director, as well as a Q&A with Gibney, Frank Marshall, Bill Strickland, Jonathan Vaughters and Betsy Andreu. Both releases also come with more than 40 minutes of deleted scenes.