Alexander Vinokourov is to star in a French-produced film backed by Kazakh money. Vino will play… Vino, in this case Alexander Vinogradov, the tale of a champion making his way from Kazakhstan to France and then onwards and upwards through the hierarchy of the sport.
According to French website cyclismag.fr, the film will be directed by a certain Peter Berman, but IMDb doesn’t seem to know this director. Apparently French luvvie GĂ©rard Depardieu was slated to have a role in the film but Berman rejected him. I wonder who Depardieu was going to play, his rotund features seem perfectly suited to being behind the wheel of a team car.
It’s not mentioned but presumably his downfall will also be included, although quite how realistic the film will be remains to be seen. Will Vino help recreate scenes of Vinogradov being hooked up to blood bags? Or this idea a hoax, is April Fool’s Day held sometime in September in Kazakhstan?