Oscar winning actor Javier Bardem has withdrawn from the movie musical "Nine," based on the Broadway hit. The actor has stepped away from the movie because of exhaustion from a busy work year and awards season.
According to People.com, this is the second recent project Bardem has left. The Spanish actor, who won an Oscar for "No Country for Old Men," was originally cast in the drama "Tetro." Bardem was replaced by actress Carmen Maura after director Francis Ford Coppola decided the role would be better filled by a female, although some reports state that the actor was actually not available.
"Nine," will be directed by "Chicago's" Rob Marshall. It will also star Oscar winner Marion Cotillard, Sophia Loren and Bardem's girlfriend Penelope Cruz. The movie is loosely based on Italian director Federico Fellini's acclaimed autobiographical 1963 movie 8 ? - about a sexually active movie director. Antonio Banderas starred in a 2003 Broadway revival.