Shy? Don’t Apply

Artist David Salle--a post-modernist who rose to prominence with his figure portraits in the early 1980s--may be making his directorial debut with an erotic thriller for producer Robert De Niro.

Casting materials for “Nothing Compares to You” call for “extreme nudity” from actresses who consider themselves “sexually adventurous.”

Told from a woman’s point of view, the story is about a wife who goes off for a weekend on her own after learning of her husband’s affair. When a burglar shows up in her hotel room, she embarks on a sexual quest.

According to De Niro’s Tribeca Prods. vice president Jane Rosenthal, the script is currently being revised by screenwriter Larry Gross (“48 HRS.”), who’ll co-direct.

Rosenthal acknowledges that the film--which will probably star an unknown--will be “very bold,” but adds, “We will not be making a pornographic, misogynist picture . . . This is about a strong woman’s emotional disintegration--and her eventual coming to terms with herself and what’s happened.”

The film is unrelated to Sinead O’Connor’s acclaimed version of Prince’s “Nothing Compares 2 U.” But, says Rosenthal, “We will (eventually) attempt to buy the song rights.”