Nine (Rob Marshall, 2009)

[malcolm1980]

What a cast he gathered for this:

Director Marshall Confirms Bardem, Cotillard, Cruz, Zeta-Jones and Loren for "Nine" Film
By Ernio Hernandez
07 Sep 2007

Rob Marshall has confirmed that the stars of his upcoming film version of Nine — based on the Broadway musical of the same name — will be Javier Bardem, Marion Cotillard, Penelope Cruz, Catherine Zeta-Jones and Sophia Loren, according to The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.

The director — known for his work on "Chicago" — confirmed to the local publication what had been previously speculated in Variety.

Bardem ("Before Night Falls," "The Sea Inside") will fill the central male role of Guido. The women who haunt him will be Marion Cotillard ("La Vie en Rose," "Love Me If You Dare") as wife Luisa, Penelope Cruz ("Vovler," "Vanilla Sky") as mistress Carla, Catherine Zeta-Jones ("Chicago," "The Legend of Zorro") as muse Claudia and Sophia Loren ("Man of La Mancha," "El Cid") as his mother.

Marshall was reportedly taken aback by the number of big Hollywood names who were willing to audition to prove their musical ability. The pool of talent is definitely international; Bardem and Cruz were born in Spain, Cotillard is French, Zeta-Jones is from Wales, and Loren is aptly Italian. No official casting has yet been announced.

Inspired by Federico Fellini's "8-1/2," Nine features a score by Maury Yeston and libretto by Arthur Kopit. The work — which finds an Italian director who is haunted by the many women in his life just as his career is in jeopardy — will be adapted for the screen by Michael Tolkin ("The Player," "Deep Impact"). The Weinstein Co. will produce the Lucamar Productions film.

"It's a gorgeous score, and we're reworking it for film, so it's really a new book," Marshall explained to Playbill.com columnist Harry Haun (Aug. 19). "I've been working on it since the beginning of the year. We'll probably be shooting next March and, hopefully, come out with it in December '08."

Of casting, Marshall explained, "We've seen probably every feature-film actress in Hollywood for the women. We're casting in New York, in Los Angeles, in London, in Paris and in Rome, so it's been a huge undertaking — and we're still doing it. Sometimes, there are real surprises. It's just like casting 'Chicago' because we don't know what film actors can sing. Sometimes there will be a surprise, and sometimes there'll be a disappointment for someone you really love as an actor and they just can't sing it."

Nine garnered a dozen Tony Award nominations in 1982, including acting nods for stars Raul Julia, Karen Akers, Anita Morris and Liliane Montevecchi — the latter three all in the Featured Actress category. Tommy Tune would take home a Tony for Best Direction as would Yeston for his score, William Ivey Long for his costume design and Montevecchi for her performance. The musical itself would take home the 1982 Tony Award for Best Musical.

Film stars Antonio Banderas and Mary Stuart Masterson starred in the 2003 Broadway revival as the Contini husband and wife with Jane Krakowksi (as Carla), Laura Benanti (as Claudia), Mary Beth Peil (as Guido's mother) and Chita Rivera (as agent Liliane La Fleur). The David Leveaux staging won Krakowski a Tony and took home the Best Musical Revival prize as well.

[David Ehrenstein]

A very bad idea.

Thanks to Tommy Tune's brilliance, Nine took a profoundly cinematic idea and transformed it into an entertaining theatrical conceit.

You can't take it back it the cinema because there's only one Fellini -- and Rob Marshall isn't up to the level of Robert Z. Leonard.

[geoffcowgill]

Bah.

Catherine Zeta-Jones is no Claudia Cardinale.

Etc.

[Dylan]

You know what would've been novel? To have gotten somebody like Paul Mazursky to direct this.

Rob Marshall seems too impersonal of a director for this kind of material (he strikes me as very "Made in and for Hollywood"), but I'll reserve judgement until I see a trailer (a year from now, or longer).

[LightBulbFilm]

Who approved this?

Hmmmm?

[Antoine Doinel]

Considering that Fellini is given a screenplay credit, I'm sure his estate gave approval.

[Haggai]

That musicalization of 8 1/2 ("Nine") was originally produced as a Broadway show in the early '80s, so I assume the rights were worked out at that point. There had already been a major Broadway musical adaptation of an earlier Fellini film (followed by a movie version of that musical) back in the '60s: "Sweet Charity," which was based on Nights of Cabiria.

[Magic Hate Ball]

I kind of want to see Nine, simply because 8 1/2 is such a great story, but Rota's music is half the reason I love it, and it makes me nervous to think of the music they made.

[Cold Bishop]

There are cast soundtracks available for previous stagings (find the Raul Julia if you can) so you could check it out. I think there are Youtube clips as well.

The Pros: It's a good musical that could be great with the right director. It has a pretty great cast: Day Lewis, Cruz, Cotillard, Loren, Dench.

Cons: It's directed by Rob Marshall, who is a hack at the movie musical and films every number as if it was a commercial. Kidman is wrong for her role, and the movie is crass enough to cast Kate Hudson and Fergie.

I'm hoping for a Sweet Charity, but we'll probably end up with Fellini Hairspray

[HelenLawson]

The inclusion of Kidman will guarantee a flop.

[Tom Hagen]

Inspired by Federico Fellini's "8-1/2,"

. . . is where I stopped reading.

[domino harvey]

I commend your endurance, I made it to "Rob Marshall"

[eez28]

A few pics of DDL and Cruz on set here

[Jeff]

The female cast -- headlined, apparently, by Fergie's crotch.

[Matt]

Who's the poor girl they made stand way in the back and hide her face in shadow?

[tavernier]

That's a very unsexy cast--what a missed opportunity for this film.

[Antoine Doinel]

Why does everyone aside from Nicole Kidman look like they used Cary Grant's Golden Tan?

[Giles]

I need to relisten to the cast Broadway album, because I don't recall the music to be all that memorable.

[Antoine Doinel]

Driving Miss Loren

[Cold Bishop]

EW Preview

I like the material and the majority of the cast, but damnit if it doesn't look like the same awful stylization that hurt Chicago. And Fergie sounds exactly like you'd expect a pop "singer" playing at a musical would sound like.

[James]

Awful in every way imaginable and I haven't even seen it. I don't care what you think of this sudden dismissal; it's by the guy who did Chicago and that's all I need to know.

[Cde.]

Trailer

8½ is possibly my favourite film. This will likely be terrible.

But this is still the best and most striking trailer for a mainstream film in ages.

Just for the way it's constructed. Obviously the singing (and the song) aren't so great.

[rohmerin]

oh, dio mio! Be Italian ! Is that a joke? If I hated "Stardust memories" because it was a copy, what's that? I've denied to watch the Cabiria musical, so this one!!! I object. Penélope as Carla, Sandra Milo, she looks ugly, horrible in the train station.
Kidman botoxed face looks better than in her nasty Australia. About D.D. L, an extroardinary talented actor in this thing. Ufh

8 1/2 is also one of my favourite films.

By the way, what a beautiful Alfa Romeo, what is that model? what does it cost? Spiders are very cheap, but that car si not an Alfa spider. It looks like the Lancia Aurelia Spider from "il sorpasso" and "Et dieu crea la femme"

any expert about vintage 60's Europan cars?

[Antoine Doinel]

Wow, that looks gorgeously awful.

[FerdinandGriffon]

What's with D. D.-D. being entirely mute in all the footage we've seen so far? Perhaps afraid that if he opens his mouth he'll let slip the extraordinary sum they must have paid such a self-serious actor to get involved in this debacle?