Taron Egerton and Hugh Jackman both appeared in the news cycle earlier today, when the former teased Kingsman 2‘s international scope and the latter revealed that Wolverine 3 is quietly making progress behind the scenes. But before getting caught up in the comic book maelstrom once again, Egerton and Jackman will star alongside each other in Dexter Fletcher’s sports biopic Eddie the Eagle.
Thrusting Egerton out onto the icy ski slopes as celebrated Olympic skier Eddie “The Eagle” Edwards, Fletcher’s drama has been pitched as a comedy-drama, offering a intimate take on Edwards’ journey to the 1988 Winter Olympics in Calgary.
Emerging as the first competitor to represent his native country of Great Britain in the late 80s, Egerton’s character entered the standings as the archetypal dark horse, though under the guidance of Jackman’s atypical ski expert Chuck Berghorn, the pair achieve what went down in the history books as a heroic failure. Not your typical underdog story, then.
Jackman and Egerton will shoot for Olympic glory when Eddie the Eagle drifts off the ski slopes and into theaters on February 26. Jo Hartley, Tim McInnerny, Keith Allen, Rune Temte, Jim Broadbent and Christopher Walken complete the cast.
Eddie the Eagle follows the realisation of the childhood dream of Michael Edwards (a.k.a Eddie), and his unflinching determination to become Great Britain’s first Olympic ski-jumper. Reluctantly aided by former ski-jumper Bronson Peary as his coach, Eddie is unwavering in his quest to reach the 1988 Calgary Winter Games. Eddie the Eagle is an uplifting, inspirational story that celebrates human spirit, passion, and one man’s refusal to accept defeat.