James Franco to Star in Danny Boyle's "127 Hours"

By our guest blogger, Rob Stammitti

James Franco, who has been taking somewhat of a break from film recently with his bizarre stint on "General Hospital," will be returning soon as the star of Danny Boyle's first film following his Oscar success with "Slumdog Millionaire." The film, called "127 Hours," is something of a survival thriller.

The plot from TotalFilm:

"The real-life story of a mountaineering trip gone wrong, Franco will play Aron Ralston, the climber who was stranded in Blue John Canyon in May 2003.

When a boulder crushed his forearm, pinning him to the canyon wall for almost five days, Ralston was forced to amputate his own arm."

Most of you probably recall this event from 2003. Ralston became a media sweetheart, representing courage and will against all odds.

I won't even bother saying this is an odd subject for Boyle to undertake. The "Trainspotting" director always has worked in multiple genres, from science fiction with "Sunshine" to horror with "28 Days Later." I mean, really, who could watch "Slumdog" and immediately think that the same man made "28 Days Later"?

So, Boyle is certainly up to the task. Is Franco? The young actor has definitely been showing off a lot more talent lately, but we've yet to see him tackle anything quite this heavy, and while he's been strong in supporting roles, this entire film will depend on Franco's ability to carry it. So realistically, this will be a big task for both of them--Franco has to carry the film, and Boyle has to make a harrowing and engaging film out of one small event.

Filming begins in March.