Bardem Drops Out Of 'Nine'

According to movie web site ComingSoon.net, Javier Bardem will no longer be starring in the film 'Nine'.

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. Javeir Bardem was scheduled to play the lead and was to be joined by Penelope Cruz, Marion Cotillard and Sophia Loren.

The Broadway production, 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 film had been scheduled to start shooting in September. Reports say that the official word is that Bardem pulled out of the because of his recently hectic schedule, he would like to take time off to "recharge his batteries"