Oscar-nominated screenwriter and novelist Michael Tolkin The Player has signed on to write the screenplay for Rob Marshall's forthcoming movie version of the Broadway musical Nine, according to Variety. Marshall, who will produce, direct and co-choreograph with John DeLuca for the Weinstein Co., said that a start date is contingent on the availability of his desired cast.
In addition to his Hollywood satire The Player, Tolkin has written the scripts to Changing Lanes and Deep Impact and recently released his fourth novel, The Return of the Player. He told Variety that he has seen Fellini's La Dolce Vita and 8 1/2 the source material for Nine more than 10 times each and is a huge fan of Italian postwar movies.
Nine tells the story of Italian film director Guido Contini, who comes to Venice in search of an idea for a new film while juggling the demands of his wife, two mistresses and strong-willed female producer. The 1982 Broadway production, directed by Tommy Tune and starring Raul Julis as Guido the show's only male role beat out Dreamgirls for Best Musical. Antonio Banderas played Guido in a 2003 Broadway revival. Maury Yeston, the show's composer and lyricist, will work on the film version, which featured a book by Arthur Kopit.
In recent interviews, producer Harvey Weinstein has been quoted as saying he wants an all-star cast for Nine, mentioning Gwyneth Paltrow, Anne Hathaway, Nicole Kidman, Judi Dench and Chicago stars Catherine Zeta-Jones and Renee Zellweger as possibilities. Celebrity magazines recently reported that Katie Holmes had met with Marshall about a role in the film.
