Bardem drops Nine

Javier Bardem – or as Jennifer Hudson calls him “Harvey-Air” – has dropped out of the starring role in the upcoming Weinstein Bros. musical NINE. For once we’re not given the tried and true “creative differences” excuse but instead Bardem was simply exhausted from his work pushing NO COUNTRY FOR OLD MEN across the globe and needed some more time to chill the f*ck out before the musical was set to begin rehearsing and filming. Bardem reportedly asked the Weinsteins to push the film back to February but TWC had already delayed the film in the wake of the writers strike and wanted to get things moving ASAP. But there is a silver lining to every cloud and that could come in the form of the former Mrs. Tom Cruise. Nicole Kidman is negotiating to join the cast though she wouldn’t be replacing Bardem (though that would certainly up the ante on her THE HOURS prosthetics). Kidman would join Penelope Cruz, Marion Cotillard and Sophia Loren in the film for Rob Marshall (CHICAGO). Now the Weinsteins must begin a frenzied search for a new Guido Contini and might we suggest this guy?