Paltrow, Banderas, Etc. Make Weinstein's 'Nine' Wish List

According to the New York Post, producer Harvey Weinstein is planning a high-wattage star cast for the upcoming film version of Nine, directed by Tony- and Oscar-nominee Rob Marshall.

For the six major female roles, Weinstein said: "Gwyneth Paltrow, Anne Hathaway, Nicole Kidman, Judi Dench, Catherine Zeta-Jones and Renée Zellweger," adding "we'll figure it out" when asked about paying all six stars' salaries.  He mused, "There are roles for six women in the movie who have to be beautiful and sing and dance . . . it's a terrible assignment to cast this," to which Marshall countered, "Thrilling!"

For the lead role of filmmaking lothario Guido, Weinstein's wish list comprises George Clooney, Javier Bardem, Nine revival star Antonio Banderas and Johnny Depp; the latter will be seen this year in Tim Burton's film adaptation of the Sondheim classic Sweeney Todd.

The show, set in Venice, Italy in the 1960s, premiered on Broadway in 1982 and was last seen on Broadway in 2003 in a production starring Antonio Banderas; David Leveaux directed. The original production, directed by Tommy Tune and starring Raul Julia, won 5 Tony Awards, including Best Musical (among its competitors in the category was Dreamgirls, the basis of a recent hit Dreamworks film). The revival won two, including Best Revival.   Nine, based on Federico Fellini's 8 1/2,  features music and lyrics by Maury Yeston and a book by Arthur Kopit.

Marshall previously told Variety: "After I finished Memoirs of a Geisha, I began looking intensely at (other projects), including remakes of movies, originals and Broadway musicals," Marshall said. "Nine (has) a seamlessness between reality and fantasy that is built into the fabric of the material. This one needs to be created specifically for the talent involved, to suit their strenghts," he said.  "Casting will be a big issue here, and if commitments complicates things, it will be 2009."

Nine revolves around one central character, Guido Contini, a film director in the Fellini mold. He is contracted to write and direct a film, but is unable to come up with a suitable plot. After recent box office failures, he finds himself drifting towards a nervous breakdown. Guido finds himself examining his past flawed relationships with the many women who have come through his life and the struggle to act his mature age of 40--as opposed to nine.

Producer Weinstein and Marshall last worked together on Chicago via Miramax Films.  Nine will be produced by Marshall and John DeLuca and choreograped by the pair, as well.

Rob Marshall, whose latest big screen effort was Memoirs of a Geisha, received an Oscar nomination for directing the film version of Chicago, which won the 2003 Oscar for Best Picture.  He also choreographed the TV musical versions of "Annie" and "Cinderella," as well as "Mrs. Santa Claus."  Marshall earned a Tony nomination for co-directing the latest revival of Cabaret with Sam Mendes; he was also recognized with a nod for his choreography.  He has also received Tony nominations for choreographing Kiss of the Spider Woman, Damn Yankees, She Loves Me and Little Me.

Photo of Antonio Banderas by Walter McBride/Retna Ltd.