Chicago director and choreographer Rob Marshall has emerged as the frontrunner to direct an adaptation of Arthur Golden's bestseller Memoirs of a Geisha.

According to the Hollywood Reporter the Oscar nominated film-maker is talking to studio chiefs at Columbia Pictures after Steven Spielberg decided not to direct and will now act as producer.

Spike Lee and Kimberly Pierce (Boys Don't Cry) were also known to be interested in the tale of geisha culture in the first half of the 20th century.

Hollywood moguls are bending over themselves to attach Marshall to a project after the awards and box office success of his first film, Chicago. However he is biding his time and has yet to announce a follow-up.