EXCLUSIVE: National Geographic is greenlighting a documentary from Oscar winner James Marsh that will explore the story of the mountain climber whose ordeal in a Utah canyon was captured in fictionalized form in the film 127 Hours.
The untitled project from Magna Studios will draw upon never-before-seen footage shot by Aron Ralson during the 2003 incident when a boulder dislodged, pinning his right arm as he descended Bluejohn Canyon alone. Ralston faced the extraordinary choice to perish in the canyon or sever his arm to free himself.
“The outdoor adventurer’s raw video diary documents six harrowing days,” notes a release, “revealing his innermost thoughts and struggle to survive before making an unimaginable life-or-death decision.”
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National Geographic plans to release the documentary next year. Ralston wrote about his mind-boggling experience in the memoir Between a Rock and a Hard Place, later adapted into the 2010 Danny Boyle film 127 Hours. The drama earned six Oscar nominations including one for lead actor James Franco, who portrayed Ralston on screen.
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“Aron’s story is one of the great adventure stories of our time, a breathtaking tale of excruciating fear, suffering, courage and endurance,” Marsh said in a statement. “The recordings Aron made during his ordeal are unique and powerfully emotional, and they are an amazing gift to a filmmaker. He tells us what he was feeling and thinking throughout the time he was imprisoned, as he vacillates between hope and despair. Nat Geo has a brilliant track record in producing ambitious, cinematic documentaries that have moved and excited audiences, and they are the perfect home for this extraordinary project. I’m delighted to bring it to life alongside my close collaborators at Magna.”
NatGeo’s upcoming films include Everest: The Other Side from Free Solo Oscar winners Elizabeth Chai Vasarhelyi and Jimmy Chin, just announced as a world premiere at the Venice Film Festival. A world premiere is likewise imminent for the NatGeo documentary Carl Sagan: We Are Made of Star Stuff, about the beloved astronomer and astrophysicist, directed by Oscar nominee Nanette Burstein.
The Aron Ralston project pairs National Geographic with another Academy Award-laureled filmmaker. Marsh (The Theory of Everything, The King) won his Oscar for 2009’s Man on Wire, which documented high-wire artist Philippe Petit’s death-defying tightrope walk between the World Trade Center towers in 1974.
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“James Marsh has been at the top of our list of dream directors since the launch of our doc films banner almost a decade ago,” said Carolyn Bernstein, EVP, National Geographic Documentary Films. “It is a true bucket list moment to work with him on this enthralling, visceral and deeply human story. Ralston’s grit and determination in the face of overwhelming odds, coupled with unique access to his personal archive, make this story the perfect addition to our character-driven slate of films that inspire viewers to deepen their connection to each other and to the natural world.”
Oliver Calleja, SVP of Non-fiction, Magna Studios, added, “Aron’s footage is an astonishing, raw account of someone trapped in a perilous and profound dilemma. We knew it deserved a filmmaker who would excel in doing Aron and his recordings justice, and, given the creative alliance we share with James, he was always our first and dream choice. This is precisely the sort of impactful narrative we seek out and champion, and Nat Geo is the perfect partner for it. The project will be an incredible addition to our burgeoning body of work.”
In a 2010 interview, Ralston recalled what he endured in that isolated rock formation.
“This bus tire-sized boulder was trapping me in a 50-foot-deep slot canyon five miles from the nearest dirt road and hours from a phone or pavement or running water or help,” he recounted. “I was by myself. I hadn’t told anyone where I was going, didn’t leave any kind of an itinerary. So, it was just me stuck and trapped basically standing in my grave. And without being able to get free, I was definitely going to die there.”
