Taron Egerton lands lead opposite Hugh Jackman in Eddie Edwards skiing movie

January 19th 2015, 9:23pm

Last Updated on August 2, 2021

Taron Egerton stars in KINGSMAN: THE SECRET SERVICE next month but the young up-and-coming actor has already lined up another impressive role. He’s landed the lead in Dexter Fletcher’s next movie starring opposite Hugh Jackman. The film doesn't have a title but will tell the story of Eddie "The Eagle" Edwards (played by Egerton) and his journey to the 1988 Winter Olympics in Calgary. Will they call it FLY LIKE AN EAGLE? For the sake of a sweet soundtrack, let's hope so!*

Egerton apparently beat several other up-and-coming actors for the role of Edwards after a screen-test with Jackman. Edwards, after failing to qualify for the 1984 Games, moved to Lake Placid so that he could train for the next time around. He’s a little short on the funds needed to pursue his dream of competing as a downhill skier. There were no other British athletes vying for a spot in the ski jumping category, so Edwards switched to that instead, and that’s where Jackman’s character comes in to play Chuck Berghorn, the mentor who helped Edwards overcome a number of issues including his financial troubles to qualify for the 1988 Games.

The story is quite interesting, and there really isn’t an easy way to talk about it without spoilers. Then again, I wouldn’t say talking about a true life event should count as a spoiler for any movie (see: UNBROKEN and RUDY, because sure). The information is on Wiki or in a book, so if you want to go in to this movie fresh I guess you could avoid learning about it.

The story goes that even though Edwards made it to the Olympics, he came in last place in the 70m and 90m ski jumping events. He was still hailed a hero, and the worse he performed, the more popular he became. Now that should make for a different kind of sports movie. Remember COOL RUNNINGS? I hope they have a lot of fun with this like that movie did with its material. Also, the next Winter Olympics is in 2018, making the marketing for this movie a no brainer.

You can see Egerton in KINGSMAN: THE SECRET SERVICE when it opens February 13th, 2015.