How do you follow up Slumdog's successful story? Why, with the true tale of self-amputating mountain climber Aron Ralston, of course. 127 Hours, which sees Ralston pinned against a cliff in Utah for 5 days, is set to be one hell of a squeamish film. After running out of water (and starting to drink other fluids), Ralston realised there was only one way off the mountainside: chop his arm off.

Sawing off his limb with a blunt knife and some pliers, the one-armed Aron then descended the canyon, which he still had to get out of. It's hair-raising stuff, and Boyle has already got a treatment ready for Simon Beaufoy to sculpt into a fully formed script. The only question now is who will play Ralston? A man trapped on his own before cutting his arm off, that's going to require some serious charisma. I'm thinking Sam Rockwell...