Few cinematic tropes are tailored to as wide an audience as that of the underdog story; particularly in the sporting genre, with dramas in the vein of Hoosiers and Remember the Titans often remembered fondly for championing a luckless team or individual overcoming the odds just when everyone believed them to be down and out. Step forth, Eddie The Eagle.
Whether Dexter Fletcher’s real-life sports biopic is held in the same regard as those aforementioned genre classics in years to come is up for question, though for now, football stars such as Russell Wilson, Drew Brees and former Arizona Cardinals quarterback Kurt Warner trumpet the film’s arrival in today’s all-new teaser.
Featuring the admittedly slanted reactions of Wilson, Brees and Warner, there’s little in the way of new footage from Eddie the Eagle actually included. One thing’s for sure, however, 20th Century Fox and Lionsgate are aligning the dramedy as a feel-good crowd-pleaser.
Placing Kingman: The Secret Service breakout Taron Egerton in the shoes of Olympic underdog Eddie “The Eagle” Edwards, it’s only when our lead character recruits the help of eccentric sporting expert Chuck Berghorn (Hugh Jackman) that the pair go for gold. Jo Hartley, Tim McInnerny, Keith Allen, Rune Temte, Jim Broadbent and Christopher Walken round out the cast.
Eddie the Eagle takes flight later this month, when Taron Egerton and Hugh Jackman will hit the ski slopes on February 26. To get the skinny on Fletcher’s biopic, be sure to check out our review in preparation for the film’s arrival.
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.
