'There Will Be Blood' star could replace Javier Bardem in 'Nine'

Having lost one 2008 Oscar-winning actor, Rob Marshall is hoping to cast another in the lead in his adaptation of the musical "Nine."

Just two weeks after the most recent best supporting actor winner Javier Bardem left the musical due to exhaustion, Daniel Day-Lewis, the most recent best actor winner, is in talks to play Guido Contini in "Nine," according to Variety.

Based loosely on Fellini's "8 1/2," "Nine" focuses on a filmmaker whose creative difficulties spill into his love life and force him to confront a wide variety of women from his past and present. Antonio Banderas played the lead role in the most recent Broadway revival of "Nine."

Day-Lewis' casting is far from a sure thing, as The Weinstein Company opted not to confirm the casting to the trade paper.

With Bardem attached to star, "Nine" was originally supposed to begin production late last year, but shooting was pushed back to after the writers strike after it was determined that rewrites were needed on Michael Tolkin's script.

Day-Lewis' best actress-winning colleague Marion Cotillard is already attached to play one of the women, along with Penelope Cruz, Sophia Loren, Nicole Kidman and Judi Dench.

An Oscar winner for both "My Left Foot" and "There Will Be Blood," Day-Lewis doesn't have any other projects lined up.