With a few months to go until its final leap into cinemas, here's a set of new stills from Dexter Fletcher's underdog ski-jump extravaganza Eddie The Eagle. Kingsman's Taron Egerton plays Eddie Edwards, with Hugh Jackman on hand as his trainer Chuck Berghorn. You'll believe a man can fly... a short distance.
Edwards, in case the name doesn’t instantly generate a memory, was the first person ever to represent the UK in the ski jump at the Olympics in Calgary in 1988. Ranked 55th in the world, Edwards was completely self-funded, working as a plasterer to make ends meet, and was the sole applicant to represent Blighty. Once there, his weight (nine pounds more than the next contestant), lack of financial support, long-sightedness (which required him to wear glasses that frequently fogged during the competition) and fear of heights adversely impacted his medal chances, and he finished last in both his events. Still, his good spirits and can-do attitude won him fans around the world, leading to a brief pop career and, now, this biopic.
Fletcher is the director, working from a screenplay by Simon Kelton and Sean Macaulay. Eddie The Eagle is out in the UK on April 1 next year.
