Filmmaker snubs Penelope Cruz for new movie

Pedro Almodovar has shunned his muse Penelope Cruz for his foray into horror because he couldn`t envision the beauty in the project.

London: Filmmaker Pedro Almodovar has shunned his muse Penelope Cruz for his foray into horror because he couldn`t envision the Spanish beauty in the project. The director has cast Antonio Banderas in his provisionally titled "The Skin I Live In", which will be adapted from Thierry Jonquet`s 1999 novel "Tarantula", about a vengeful cosmetic surgeon, but has given Cruz a miss, reports contactmusic.com.

"(It) will be close to a horror film, which was something I really wanted to do as I had never made one, but I will not respect any rules of the genre," he said. Almodovar admits he has been struggling with the script, but he won`t turn to his favourite leading lady Cruz this time around. "If I can finally shoot it, it`s because I have been able to solve the huge problems I had with the adaptation. I am stubborn and I could not abandon this story... The more I developed the story, the less I saw her (Cruz) in the role. But it`s not important at all. I see her again in many more roles," he said. Almodovar has worked with the brunette in films including 2006`s "Volver" and last year`s critically-acclaimed "Broken Embraces". IANS