Javier Bardem has dropped out of the lead role of Nine, the musical that Chicago helmer Rob Marshall will direct for The Weinstein Company, says Variety.
Bardem was expected to play Guido Contini, a film director who experiences personal and creative crisis trying to balance all the women in his life.
Though his camp said that Bardem loved the script and the idea of working with Marshall, he pulled out because he is exhausted from work and awards season, and will take as long as a year to recharge his batteries.
Penelope Cruz, Marion Cotillard and Sophia Loren are still aboard to star, and Nicole Kidman and Judi Dench are reportedly negotiating to join them in the screen adaptation of a stage musical inspired by the Fellini film 8½.
