A YOUNG fencer from Malvern Wells is appearing in a blockbuster movie being released this week.

Alex Cupper, aged 14, appears as a stunt swordsman in the Twentieth Century Fox film, The Kid Who Would Be King.

Scenes from the movie were filmed in Somerset, where Alex is a pupil at Millfield School, and include shots of the historic monument Glastonbury Tor.

The film is described as a family adventure fantasy, which stars Sir Patrick Stewart as the wizard Merlin.

Alex, who is currently ranked fifth in England for fencing in the under-15 foil category, discovered his ambition to be involved in cinema after watching a Star Wars movie.

After a rigorous auditions process which involved highly technical fencing, Alex was cast in the film as a stunt swordsman and appears in the background of fight and training sequences.

Alex recently appeared on BBC Points West and will showcase his fencing skills alongside the Millfield fencing department at the Wells Film Festival in April, where the film will be shown at the Bishop’s Palace.

Millfield’s director of fencing, Tristan Parris, said: “This has been an incredible opportunity for Alex, and it is amazing to see fencing lead to such an exciting development in his career.

"Having the fencing skill set to be a stunt swordsman is incredibly technical, and could lead to even more exciting opportunities for Alex, who not only is a talented fencer, but also an incredibly mature, professional young man.”

The Kid Who Would Be King is due to be released to UK cinemas on Friday, February 15.