STACK #142 Aug 2016

DVD & BD FEATURE

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Like the hero of Eddie the Eagle , director Dexter Fletcher was encouraged to think big when it came to bringing his story to the screen. Words: Adam Colby FLY LIKE AN EAGLE

liked it. Matthew was very enthusiastic to get it going, which is always good, and just a couple of months later I was in Germany looking at ski jumps. So it’s literally come together in six months or so.” Eddie the Eagle tells the uplifting true story of the plucky Edwards, who won the hearts

D exter Fletcher has been friends with Matthew Vaughn ever since appearing in the latter’s first movie as a producer – the cult hit Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels . Vaughn has since gone on to become one of Hollywood’s A-list directors, thanks to hits such as Kingsman: The Secret Service

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of sports fans around the world for his improbable ski-jumping feats at the 1988 Winter Olympics. Eddie is played by rising star Taron Egerton, who received his first big break in Vaughn’s most recent hit Kingsman , while Hugh Jackman plays his maverick coach. Fletcher’s first two films were relatively low budget affairs – certainly compared with Vaughn’s

and  X-Men: First Class , while his mate Fletcher has also carved out a career behind the camera as director of films such as Wild Bill and Sunshine on Leith . So when Vaughn decided to reactivate a project about the great British underdog, skier Eddie ‘The Eagle’ Edwards (he had first pitched the idea 15 years ago) he asked his old pal if he would be interested in directing.

We’ve got to make it the

the A-list?’ Hugh was top of the list already, and he responded in the most positive way. Immediately that made me realise we were doing a movie-movie. In a way it echoed Eddie’s story – this is a film that came together from humble beginnings, but as soon as Hugh Jackman signs on, it’s elevated to the big show.” Similarly, Fletcher believes the story and backdrop called for a larger-than-life visual style. “Eddie is a legend in his own way, and for me it was about what is the story behind that and how do we give it grandeur and spectacle and scale? And then when you have people like Hugh Jackman and Taron Egerton, and some of the other luminaries we have involved, it kind of elevates it. “But the backdrops – the mountains – immediately demand that you deliver something of an equal magnitude in the foreground. We’ve got to make it the heroic story of a legendary figure. So of course we played hard and fast with the truth. We make it a dramatic retelling of this man’s journey, but the hero’s journey is his journey. He’s a man from humble beginnings who went on this extraordinary adventure.” • Eddie the Eagle is out Aug 3

heroic story of a legendary figure

more recent productions – but the producer encouraged his director to think big with Eddie the Eagle , particularly in regards to casting. “OK, we’re a British independent film, but in typical Matthew Vaughn style he was like, ‘Why does that mean we can’t aim as high as

Fletcher takes up the story. “I got a call from Matthew and he said, ‘Do you remember Eddie the Eagle?’ I said, ‘Do you think I’ve been living under a rock for the last 30 years – of course I do’. So I read the script for this one and I really

ULTIMATE UNDERDOGS

Cool Runnings The hilarious exploits of a Jamaican bobsleigh team first gave Matthew Vaughn the idea for Eddie the Eagle.

The Mighty DuckS This one’s fictional but as well as spawning two sequels, it did lead to the formation of real life ice hockey team.

INVINCIBLE Mark Wahlberg is great as a 30-year-old bartender with no real sporting experience, who ends up playing in the NFL.

AUGUST 2016

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