Extraordinary life story of triple amputee Mark Ormrod from Plymouth to be made into a movie

Triple amputee Mark Ormrod relaxes at home in Plymouth. Credit: ITV West Country

Mark Ormrod from Plymouth has led an extraordinary life. The former Royal Marine, who was serving with Taunton's 40 Commando, stepped on an IED in Afghanistan on Christmas Eve 2007. It exploded and he lost his arm and both his legs. Doctors told him he would never walk again and he should prepare himself for life in a wheelchair.

Mark Ormrod at Headley Court Rehabilitation Centre in 2008 - he was eventually able to leave the wheelchair behind. Credit: ITV West Country

Not only did he master prosthetics, he has become a mentor to other amputees, a motivational speaker and a multiple medal winner at the Invictus games.

Now Mark's amazing story is to be turned in to a movie. He did not believe it at first but when he finally spoke to the film makers he was sold on the idea.

Mark Ormrod rowing his way to a silver medal at the Invictus Games in 2017. Credit: PA

Mark has written an autobiography, Man Down, about his experience in Afghanistan and how he battled to recover and was able to stand to receive his campaign medal. The film company Dal Productions say the movie will be about much more than this.

David Coleman from Dal Productions says, "The book Man Down is actually half the story. What Mark went on to achieve and experience in a non-military setting, in more of a personal setting, all the way up to the Invictus Games and so on. So you can see that there is actually a dramatic story to be told here that Mark can and does guide us on".

Mark Ormrod says, "If you'd have asked me to do this 10 years ago, my whole spin on it would have been knife in the teeth, bullets flying everywhere, explosions, crawling through the mud - that kind of movie. But now emotionally that's what I want to focus on. You go in and it's quite shocking to start with but by the time you go out you're bawling your eyes out - for good reasons because you've gone on that emotional roller coaster."

Mark chatting with Harry and Meghan at the Invictus trials in Bath in 2018. Credit: PA

Mark says he is not an actor but he will be working alongside the lead to help them move the way he does - with and without prosthetics. He does however hope to have a few cameos in the movie - perhaps in the hospital scenes or at the rehab centre. He also hopes they will feature a few more cameos. Prince Harry, for example, who famously described Mark as "Britain's answer to Superman".

The coronavirus crisis has held up production a bit but the team is now getting ready to cast the film.

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