NEWSWEEK: Weinstein Inspired by NINE, Dench Inspired by Harvey

Media titan Harvey Weinstein is excited about the potential of success for his latest project, the big screen version of the muiscal NINE. In a recent NEWSWEEK feature, set before the Oscar ceremony he reflected on a number of topics including his joy about his motion picture transfer of the stage hit. In the article there is also a fun bit regarding NINE star Dame Judi Dench's love of "Harvey" that you won't want to miss. You can read the feature by clicking here.

NINE, starring Daniel Day-Lewis, Penelope Cruz and Nicole Kidman, recently wrapped shooting and is now scheduled to hit cinemas November 25, 2009.

The all-star cast is directed by Rob Marshall, who also helmed critically-acclaimed 2002 musical Chicago - which garnered six Academy Awards, including a Best Supporting Actress gong for Catherine Zeta-Jones.

In a recent interview, producer Harvey Weinstein is confident that winning formula will be repeated with Nine. He commented to news sources that, "Most definitely. You'll see a lot of nominations. You'll see a lot of dancing too. Really, this is a great musical, a lot of great musical numbers.

"It's directed by Rob Marshall. We won the Oscar for Chicago; hopefully we'll get in the arena again."

Daniel Day-Lewis replaced the previously attached Javier Bardem in the leading role of Guido Contini, Bardem left the project citing exhaustion. Nicole Kidman, Marion Cotillard, Kate Hudson, Stacy "Fergie" Ferguson, Sophia Loren and Judi Dench star in the film as well. 

Nine is a musical with a book by Arthur Kopit and music and lyrics by Maury Yeston and is based off of Fredrico Fellini's movie 8 1/2. The play tells the story of a young film maker living in Venice trying to juggle all of the women in his life.

The Broadway production of Nine, directed by Tommy Tune and choreographed by Thommie Walsh, opened on May 9, 1982 at the 46th Street Theatre, where it ran for 729 performances. The cast included Raúl Juliá as Guido, Karen Akers as Luisa, Liliane Montevecchi as Liliane, Anita Morris as Carla, Shelly Burch as Claudia, and Taina Elg as Guido's mother. Replacements later in the run included Bert Convy and Sergio Franchi as Guido, Maureen McGovern as Luisa, and Priscilla Lopez as Liliane. The musical won five Tony Awards, including best musical.

The first revival of the 1982 Tony Award-winning musical hit Broadway in 2003 led by Antonio Banderas-who made his Broadway debut in the role of Guido. Laura Benanti, Jane Krakowski, Mary Stuart Masterson, and Chita Rivera rounded out the original revival cast.

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.

 

Photo Credit: Walter McBride/Retna Ltd.

To post a comment, you must register and login.