USA Today has our first look at Hugh Jackman mentoring Kingsman: The Secret Service hotshot Taron Egerton as famed Olympic skier Eddie “The Eagle” Edwards in the comedic biopic. Check out the Eddie the Eagle photos below!
Edwards became a national hero by becoming the first competitor to represent Great Britain in Olympic ski jumping during the 1988 Winter Olympics in Calgary. He was a particular dark horse to achieve this placement, since he had no funding and his farsightedness forced him to wear glasses under his goggles, making him virtually blind during the jumps. The press nicknamed Edwards “Mr. Magoo,” and even though he placed last in the 70m and 90m ski-jumping events, he was hailed as a heroic failure.
Jackman plays Chuck Berghorn, a ski expert who helped Edwards train for the games, while Christopher Walken plays Berghorn’s own mentor.
Eddie the Eagle is produced by Matthew Vaughn while his frequent in-front-of-the-camera collaborator (Kick-Ass, Lock Stock & Two Smoking Barrels) turned-director (Sunshine on Leith) Dexter Fletcher is helming the film from a screenplay by Simon Kelton and Sean Macaulay. 20th Century Fox will release the film on February 26, 2016.
