WOW....just WOW

I never actually reported this, so for those who missed it, this post will be a double whammy.

Part A: Javier Bardem reluctantly drops out of musical "Nine".

Part B: Daniel Day-Lewis eyeing empty lead role in "Nine". That's right. DANIEL. FRIGGIN. DAY-LEWIS. The man NEVER spends so little time between projects (well, he was in some 2005 movie, but it only took a week to shoot or something). The only problem: can he pull off being Italian for the role????


And this isn't just some internet rumor; it's being reported in Variety, one of the two goddesses of movie industry information (the other being The Hollywood Reporter). Here's the article:

Daniel Day-Lewis is in talks to follow "There Will Be Blood" with "Nine," the Rob Marshall-directed musical for The Weinstein Co.

If Day-Lewis commits to playing the role of Guido Contini, he would be replacing Javier Bardem, who dropped out of a planned fall start, claiming he was exhausted from work and awards season.

The role is a famous film director who experiences personal and creative crisis while trying to balance all the women in his life. Penelope Cruz, Marion Cotillard, Sophia Loren, Nicole Kidman and Judi Dench will play the women. The musical was inspired by the Fellini film "8 ½."

Michael Tolkin wrote the screenplay, and Anthony Minghella turned in a rewrite before he died.

Getting Day-Lewis is a coup for Harvey Weinstein, whose first association with the actor came when Weinstein's Miramax Films acquired distribution rights to the 1989 Jim Sheridan-directed film "My Left Foot."

While actor and distributor clashed over the marketing, Day-Lewis later credited Weinstein with gaining notice for a small Irish film that might otherwise have disappeared. Day-Lewis won his first Academy Award for his portrayal of Christy Brown, who fought through cerebral palsy to become a noted writer.

A TWC spokesman denied that a lead had been set: "Any of the names being thrown around is pure conjecture and when we're ready to make an announcement we'll let you know."