The movie The Program was all about David Walsh's pursuit of Lance Armstrong. But the journalist Walsh worked with on the Armstrong story wants his credit and his money, both of which he says are due to him.

David Walsh movie on Lance Armstrong sued by Pierre Ballester

The movie ostensibly about journalist David Walsh’s pursuit of Lance Armstrong ‘The Program’ is being sued by a French journalist who says he was written out.

Pierre Ballester worked alongside Walsh in pursuing Armstrong for eight years. He co-wrote La Confidentiel and LA Officiel with the Irish journalist.

And he also wrote most of a third, follow-up, book Le Sale Tour, or The Dirty Tour.

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However, Walsh then went on to write Seven Deadly Sins about the Armstrong downfall. And it was that book that formed the basis of The Program.

Seven Deadly Sins was informed by much of the work from the books co-written with Ballester.

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However, when the movie was released three years ago it was all about Walsh, with Ballester simply absent from the story.

He claims he was asked at the time to sign away his rights and declined. And former pro Christophe Bassons also said he was approached to do the same, but that he also declined.

Now Ballester and his publisher Editions de La Martinière are suing The Program’s production company, Studio Canal.

They want recognition for the fact the pursuit of Armstrong was a two-man effort and not just down to David Walsh.

And they also want to be compensated for their exclusion from the project’s revenues, believed to be about $3 million.

Ballester claims that his exclusion from the project effectively “trampled” on the years of working he had put in with Walsh.

CyclingTips.com reports the court case is due to take place in Paris in January. You can read the full CyclingTips story by following this link.