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Remember Aron Ralston? Back in 2003, he was trapped by a boulder while mountain-climbing in Utah and amputated his own right arm. His amazing survival story made him a national celebrity. (His charisma and good looks didn't hurt, either. ) Ralston is about to be back in the spotlight once more -- this time, played by a Hollywood star.
Slumdog Millionaire director Danny Boyle has confirmed that he'll be making a movie based on Ralston's ordeal, titled 127 Hours. Sources say that Irish actor Cillian Murphy is Boyle's first choice to play the handsome mountain man.
Murphy seems a somewhat unlikely choice to us. He's an amazing actor, but not exactly the rugged outdoorsy type. Still, he's an established favorite of director Boyle, having starred his the zombie flick 28 Days Later and the sci-fi horror film Sunshine.
Rock-climbing notwithstanding, the role is bound to be a demanding one, with the lead actor spending most of the film alone onscreen. Here's the true story: "127 hours" is the amount of time Ralston spent trapped in the canyon wall before deciding to cut his own arm off. During those five days, he ran out of water and began drinking his own urine. He became convinced he would die, carved his name in the canyon wall and videotaped a goodbye to his family. Then in desperation, he broke his own arm and used a Leatherman knock-off to cut it from his body, freeing himself. THEN, since he didn't bring a phone, he had to walk eight miles and rappel down a 65-foot cliff before encountering a vacationing family -- who gave him two Oreos and called for rescue. (We think the film should be called Two Oreos, but we're probably in the minority there.)
The real-life Aron Ralston turned his ordeal into a speaking career, and now gets paid up to $37,000 an hour to speak at corporate events. That part probably won't make it into the movie -- but we'd still call it a happy ending.
Would you could cut your own arm off to save your life? Chime in below!
