"Nine" - film version in the works

[dirac]

Plans are moving ahead for a movie version of “Nine.” Rob Marshall is trying to line up Javier Bardem, Penelope Cruz, and Marion Cotillard.

Marshall, who wanted to set his cast early to custom-fit the roles to the strengths of each performer, is also courting Sophia Loren and his "Chicago" star Catherine Zeta-Jones. Marshall will produce and choreograph with John DeLuca, his partner in Lucamar Prods.

Bardem just got the offer to play director Guido Contini, who experiences a creative and personal crisis as he tries to balance all the women in his life. That includes his wife, mistress, his film-star muse, agent and even his mother. Raul Julia originated the role onstage, and Antonio Banderas played it in the revival. The musical was inspired by the Fellini film "8 ½."

Thoughts?

[papeetepatrick]

This is great news, although I like lining up Penelope Cruz and Sophia Loren better than I do Catherine Zeta-Jones. Mary Stuart Masterson sounds great in the revival recording, but not big enough name by now, I guess--would probably kill them to use her, although she'd be great. Oh well, neither is Ms. Zeta-Jones, according to the T-Mobile people, who finally fired her--I couldn't bear when she'd say 'Get more...' at the end. Sounds as though we may get more non-dancing and more dumbed-down choreography, if they'd throw about Bob Fosse's contributions so cavalierly, in order to let Renee Zellweger do what amounted to little more than a buck dance.

Will be interesting if they get someone as interesting as Liliane Montevecchi for the 'Folies Bergere' number. I guess we have 'Dreamgirls' and 'Hairspray', with their enormous financial successes, to thank for the new developments in musicals on film.

[bart]

Cottilard is truly magnificent in La Vie en Rose. Bardem is very, very, very cool. Both have gone out of their way to stretch themselves (even to the extent of taking eccentric roles). I hope this works for them.

[papeetepatrick]

Cottilard is truly magnificent in La Vie en Rose. Bardem is very, very, very cool. Both have gone out of their way to stretch themselves (even to the extent of taking eccentric roles). I hope this works for them.

I wasn't thinking, since I didn't see La Vie en Rose, yes, obviously they will use Cotillard for Folies Bergere.

[papeetepatrick]

http://www.imdb.com/gallery/granitz/2547/E...?hint=nm0000849

I wasn't familiar with Bardem. I don't know anything about his acting, but he has definitely got

THE LOOK. It may be a little too primordial for Guido, but I think most of us could live with it.

[dirac]

a little too primordial for Guido

He's no Mastroianni in that respect, for sure. I haven't seen much of Bardem but I have no objections to him. He had a nice bit in 'Collateral' and he was good in 'The Sea Inside,' which a lot of people liked better than I did.

[bart]

Although I'm not a huge film fan nowadays, Bardem is one of those actors who draws me in. Mar adentro and Before Night Falls are excellent. What really captivated me, however, was Los Lunes al Sol , a small Spanish film in which he played a middle-aged, unemployed shipyard worker in a decripit northern Spanish port city. Age is hitting him, relationships have collapsed (except for his group of buddies in the same boat), and the shipyard has just announced massive, permanent layoffs. It's a new world, suddenly hopeless for those defined as obsolete. Bardem plays an angry, powerless working class guy with the same authenticity he has played a gay Cuban poet or a heterosexual romantic lead.

Although Bardem's face suggests Bogart and Belmondo, I think Mastroianni might be quite a good fit.

Cottilard's Piaf had me literally sitting at the edge of my seat. One promising note for this kind of film: she is a very effective lip-syncher -- the best I've ever seen on film. And, like Bardem, she appears to be a fearless actor and a perfectionist.

[Helene]

What really captivated me, however, was Los Lunes al Sol , a small Spanish film in which he played a middle-aged, unemployed shipyard worker in a decripit northern Spanish port city. Age is hitting him, relationships have collapsed (except for his group of buddies in the same boat), and the shipyard has just announced massive, permanent layoffs. It's a new world, suddenly hopeless for those defined as obsolete. Bardem plays an angry, powerless working class guy with the same authenticity he has played a gay Cuban poet or a heterosexual romantic lead.

I agree that Bardem was great in that movie, which played the Seattle International Film Festival.

[cubanmiamiboy]

Javier Bardem is an excelent choice. I loved him is his early 1992 "Jamon, jamon", (aka-"Ham, ham") , then in his Academy Award nominated portray of the prosecuted homosexual cuban writer Reinaldo Arenas in "Before Night Falls" and finally in his 2004 Venice Festival awarded role from "The Sea Inside". As for Penelope Cruz, not my favorite actress, particulary when she is out of Almodovar's domain...

[dirac]

Thank you, cubanmiamiboy. I had forgotten Before Night Falls, I'm embarrassed to say.

I've only seen Cruz in Almodovar pictures and several English language films, and in the latter I thought she was hampered by a lack of expressivity in English, although she was never less than appealing. A little on the bland side, for me.

[Helene]

I loved Penelope Cruz in Yanes's Sin noticias de Dios, which was released as Don't Tempt Me in th eUS. In the film, she plays the agent of the Chairmen of the Board of Hell (Gael García Bernal) who vies with Victoria Abril, agent of the Benevolent Rule of Heaven (Fanny Ardant) over the soul of a boxer (Demián Bichir).

[glebb]

NINE is my favorite show ever. I loved both Broadway productions.

Rob Marshall is a great choice to direct and I'm over the moon about Cottilard.

I would automatically put her in the Louisa role, in which by the way Masterson was divine. But it would be great if they cast her in another role due to her superbly incredible acting skills. I'm convinced that Anita Morris owns the role of Carla and no one one will ever be able to top her.

[dirac]

NINE is my favorite show ever. I loved both Broadway productions.

Rob Marshall is a great choice to direct and I'm over the moon about Cottilard.

I would automatically put her in the Louisa role, in which by the way Masterson was divine. But it would be great if they cast her in another role due to her superbly incredible acting skills. I'm convinced that Anita Morris owns the role of Carla and no one one will ever be able to top her.

If Cotillard is as great as people are saying, she'll be wonderful. Still peeved at myself for skipping La Vie en Rose......

[papeetepatrick]

No matter what Marshall does, though, this is not primarily a dance musical, so it has at least a chance of turning into something besides silly razzle-dazzle. I'm frankly a bit amazed they're making it--it's never been a loud advertisement for itself like 'Hairspray' or 'Dreamgirls', not to mention 'The Lion King' and 'Phantom of the Opera' and 'Les Miserables'. Even 'Sweeney Todd' is more of a household word than 'Nine'.

[glebb]

I would think that the producers are banking on the passion, glamour, fashion aspect though I'm not sure how successful this film will be financially.

I remember leaving the theatre in a state of euphoria after my first viewing of the revival production and hearing a woman near me say - "I didn't understand a thing that was happening." Of course I know every word of the score. Maybe that helps?

The sets for both Broadway productions were the most inventive, imaginative and beautiful I have ever seen.

Since the musical is mainly about Guido's breakdown, I wonder if Rob will borrow from his 'Chicago' idea and put the film in the mind of Guido.

'The Grand Canal' scene in the revival affected me more than any other moment I've spent in a theatre.

*Trivia* - Did anyone else on this board notice in Tommy Tune's choreography for 'The Germans at The Spa' his tableaux of the lithograph of Taglioni, Grahn, Grisi and Cerrito?

[dirac]

Since the musical is mainly about Guido's breakdown, I wonder if Rob will borrow from his 'Chicago' idea and put the film in the mind of Guido.

And it wouldn't be far from Fellini, either, depending on how well the concept is executed.

No matter what Marshall does, though, this is not primarily a dance musical, so it has at least a chance of turning into something besides silly razzle-dazzle.

I prefer as a rule musicals with lots of dancing, but I agree, in the current climate minimal dance requirements are a plus.

[dirac]

Daniel Day-Lewis is going to lead the cast:

The Wicklow-based actor replaces Javier Barden (No Country for Old Men), who dropped out of the project due to exhaustion. Grammy award winning singer Fergie is also in final talks to play the role of Saraghina, a lusty woman who introduces Guido (Day-Lewis) to the world of sexuality. The singer previously had a small role in the Weinstein Co.’s ‘Grindhouse’.

[glebb]

Daniel Day-Lewis is going to lead the cast:

The Wicklow-based actor replaces Javier Barden (No Country for Old Men), who dropped out of the project due to exhaustion. Grammy award winning singer Fergie is also in final talks to play the role of Saraghina, a lusty woman who introduces Guido (Day-Lewis) to the world of sexuality. The singer previously had a small role in the Weinstein Co.’s ‘Grindhouse’.

While I think Daniel Day-Lewis is a great actor and I trust Rob Marshall I sure wish Javier had not dropped out.

Both Broadway versions were magic. I have high hopes for the film.

[cubanmiamiboy]

...and now Fergie...Good God! (Why not Lil' Kim?)

[papeetepatrick]

Daniel Day-Lewis is going to lead the cast:

The Wicklow-based actor replaces Javier Barden (No Country for Old Men), who dropped out of the project due to exhaustion. Grammy award winning singer Fergie is also in final talks to play the role of Saraghina, a lusty woman who introduces Guido (Day-Lewis) to the world of sexuality. The singer previously had a small role in the Weinstein Co.’s ‘Grindhouse’.

While I think Daniel Day-Lewis is a great actor and I trust Rob Marshall I sure wish Javier had not dropped out.

Both Broadway versions were magic. I have high hopes for the film.

I don't. I think it will be overproduced and overdone and maybe even self-congratulatory. They are now making more of these things with too many giant stars, ever since Kenneth Branagh's 'Hamlet' and that 'Midsummer Night's Dream' with Michelle Pfeiffer, Rupert Everett, Calista Flockhart, Kevin Kline and others. They never really become characters when there are only giant stars, rather it becomes another kind of 'Ocean's 11'. I believe Sophia Loren is still listed, and Judi Dench and Nicole Kidman. Other examples are Sean Penn's 'The Pledge', with mostly Jack Nicholson, but absurd long episode-cameos by Mirren, Redgrave, Shepard, Del Toro and others (and they never reappear after these little semi-soliloquies). These things are just commercial product when they do this. I haven't seen an American musical film in the 00's I thought anything of aside from one that isn't traditionally a musical, but did adopt some musical comedy production numbers--Kevin Spacey's 'Beyond the Sea', his valentine to Bobby Darin, and which consisted musically mostly of Bobby Darin songs. By now, even 'Hairspray' has evaporated for me, except for Pfeiffer's amazing harridan. It was well-made, but not good enough material and an inferior score, better than I'd seen it onstage, but still little more than a trifle. There was, on the other hand, Alain Resnais's extraorinary 'Pas Sur la Bouche', which had no run at all in the U.S., and which is based on an old operetta. Best musical film since 'Hair' IMO.

'Nine' should have been taken seriously artistically instead of just getting marketable big names. It's a better property, needs a certain amount of intimacy, and doesn't need stars that are not suited for it (Penelope Cruz among several), will overact, will in many cases not be able to sing, and will not be able to slip their big Hollywood personas into the characters. Anyway, unlike Glebb, I don't trust Marshall at all, having thought 'Chicago' enormously overrated, and stuffed with non-dancers. They're afraid to take any chances on untried actor-product by now. At this point, it's not as amusing to enjoy 'sell-out products', because too many of them are playing it safe. If it wasn't nearly all the time, it would be different.

[dirac]

Bardem certainly looked better on paper - I wonder what the 'exhaustion' business was about, it's one of those generic explanations that could mean anything -- but Day-Lewis could be good, too.

Somebody tell me about Fergie.

[sidwich]

Somebody tell me about Fergie.

"Fergie" is Stacey Ferguson, the lead singer of the hip hop/pop group the Black-eyed Peas. She started out as a child singer on one of the kids variety shows (Kids Incorporated I think) and then banged around for a while as a pop singer in an unsuccessful girl group. Think the unsuccessful cross between Britney Spears and Christina Aguilera.

Ironically (considering we were discussing Pygmalion/My Fairy Lady in the other thread), she found success with the hip hop group Black-eyed Peas. The Black-eyed Peas had had limited success in the mainstream so they brought in Ferguson, hip hopified the blond, pop-friendly singer, and voila! Together they find mainstream success.

[dirac]

Thanks, sidwich, that's very helpful.

[cubanmiamiboy]

Somebody tell me about Fergie.

Here's some of her lyrics from her solo Hit "Fergalicious". I hope you'll enjoy it...

"Listen up ya'll, 'cause this is it

The beat that I'm bangin' is delicious

Fergalicious definition make them boys go loco

They want my treasure so they get their pleasures from my photo.

You could see me, you can't squeeze me.

I ain't easy, I ain't sleazy.

I got reasons why I tease 'em.

Boys just come and go like seasons.

Fergalicious (so delicious)

But I ain't promiscuous.

And if you was suspicious,

All that s... is fictitious.

I blow kisses (mmmwwahhh)

That puts them boys on rock, rock.

And they be lining down the block just to watch what I got "

Definitely some really deep concepts...

[papeetepatrick]

Definitely some really deep concepts...

OMG those are so friggin' funny Somewhat different from Dr. Dre....

I love the way 'promiscuous' doesn't rhyme with any of the other words, and maybe she can sing it to Daniel Day-Lewis in the remake of 'Mamma Mia!'--'cause they're gonna hit it off big in NINE-A NEW MUSICAL-- which we'll be needing in a year or two, according to whether Viacom merges with MySpace or FaceBook in a hostile buyout.

And all along I thought it was ex-royal Sarah Ferguson of Weight Watchers we were getting...I REALLY DID!!! The AP on my Verizon screen that announced that Day-Lewis would be doing his divertissement role about 10 days ago mentioned one 'Fergie', and I thought it was Prince Andrew's ex ('Stacey' already perilously close, and then you just go ahead with 'Fergie' just like she did. Never heard of this one, and think it quite *simulacrum* that she's lifted the moniker. There is probably a whole social set that never heard of the *Real* Fergie.)