James Franco, who currently stars in the new film 127 Hours and will be hosting the 83rd Academy Awards with Anne Hathaway next February, is featured on the cover and in the pages of the new outdoorsy magazine Outside. Here is our first look at James‘s latest magazine cover:

As you may recall, James also graces the cover of the Fall issue of Candy magazine (in full drag) as well as his very own issue of GQ magazine this month as one of the mag’s Men of the Year … so Mr. Franco is having a very good month at the newsstand. After the jump, check out a couple photos from James‘s Outside magazine photospread …

His coverstory interview is not available online so you’ll have to pick up this issue of Outside to read it in full. I understand, tho, that James explains that he based his version of Aron Ralston (the man he plays in 127 Hours who was forced to cut off his own arm to free himself from being pinned under a boulder) on a mix between Ralston, Neal Cassady and MacGyver. If you are a fan of the film and want to know more about James‘s inspiration for the character he plays, you’re gonna wanna pick up this issue.

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