After an impressive turn in Testament of Youth, Taron Egerton looks set to make a name for himself as the lead in Matthew Vaughn’s adaptation of Mark Millar and Dave Gibbons’ Kingsman: The Secret Service.
That movie will reach us a little later this month, but Egerton has already lined up his next big project in the form of Dexter Fletcher currently untitled biopic of famed British ski jumper Eddie “The Eagle” Edwards.
After failing to qualify for the 1984 Winter Olympics, Edwards moved to Lake Placid in order to train himself up for the 1988 games. Unfortunately, he was too short of funds to pursue his dream of competing as a downhill skier, and so drafted in a trainer to help him gain a spot in the ski jumping category instead.
That trainer was Chuck Berghorn, and that’s the role X-Men star Hugh Jackman will take on in the movie. Egerton apparently landed the role of Edwards after an impressive screen test alongside the Aussie actor.
As you will likely already know, Edwards did end up making it to the Olympics, but came in last place. However, the worse he performed, the more popular he became! This should be an unconventional take on the traditional inspirational sports story, and may even be an awards contender if handled well.
Timothy Spall has also been mentioned as possibly playing Edwards’ father, but we’ll keep you updated!
