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 would play Chuck Berghorn, a ski expert who helped Edwards train for the games, while the production is also courting Timothy Spall (Mr. Turner) to play Edwards’ father. Vaughn’s frequent in-front-of-the-camera collaborator (Kick-Ass, Lock Stock & Two Smoking Barrels) turned-director (Sunshine on Leith) Dexter Fletcher will helm the film, and the Belfast Telegraph reports that UK singer-songwriter Gary Barlow will compose the music.
In 2007, director Declan Lowney (Alan Partridge) cast Steve Coogan in the role of Eddie the Eagle before recasting it in 2009 with “Harry Potter” star Rupert Grint, although neither versions came to fruition.
