National Geographic has greenlit an untitled documentary from Oscar-winning director James Marsh about mountaineer Aron Ralston, whose 2003 ordeal in a Utah canyon inspired the fictionalised 2010 film 127 Hours. The project matters because it will draw on never-before-seen footage Ralston himself recorded during the incident, offering a first-hand account rather than a dramatised retelling, and it pairs the streamer with another acclaimed documentary filmmaker for its growing slate of cinematic non-fiction titles.

Ralston was pinned by a dislodged boulder while descending Bluejohn Canyon alone in April 2003, and over six days recorded a video diary before ultimately severing his own right arm to survive. His memoir, Between a Rock and a Hard Place, was adapted by Danny Boyle into 127 Hours, which earned six Oscar nominations, including one for James Franco's portrayal of Ralston. Marsh, who won an Academy Award for Man on Wire, is producing the new film with Magna Studios, and National Geographic executive Carolyn Bernstein said the director had long been on the network's list of dream collaborators; the documentary is slated for release next year.