Daniel Day-Lewis to take the musical lead in 'Nine'

London, May 17 : British actor Daniel Day-Lewis is all set to make his first musical debut on the big screen.

The 51-year-old actor, who has already had a 25-year film career and who picked up his latest Academy Award for his performance in There Will Be Blood, will, according to industry insiders, be taking the lead role in a movie version of the musical Nine.

The movie is set in early Sixties Venice, and Day-Lewis will be playing film director Guido Contini, who is facing a midlife crisis due to his string of relationships with various women.

'The Last of the Mohicans' star, who is famous for his unusually intense approach to roles, has been lined up after Spanish actor Javier Bardem pulled out.

He will join a star-studded cast which already includes Nicole Kidman, Dame Judi Dench and Sophia Loren, with filming due to begin this autumn.

"Daniel's obviously achieved just about everything anyone could hope for in the business but starring in a musical film will be a new experience for him," the Daily Express quoted a well-placed movie source as saying.

"Nobody is quite sure how good his singing voice is. However, as with all of his parts in the past, everybody connected with the film knows he'll go at it 100 per cent," the source added.

ANI