Nicole Kidman makes Pirelli Calendar

Australian movie star and producer Nicole Kidman will be one of the attractions of the 2017 Pirelli Calendar, as these first backstage images show.

Photographed over a period of four weeks in May and June, next year's instalment of the Italian tyre brand's famed automotive/female-themed calendar was shot by Peter Lindbergh.

Best known for his cinematic images and recognised as one of the most influential contemporary photographers, Lindbergh shot the 1996 calendar in California (El Mirage Desert) and the 2002 calendar in Los Angeles (Paramount Studio).

The 2017 Pirelli Calendar was shot in five locations across Europe and the US (Berlin, London, Los Angeles, Le Touquet and New York) with the help of 15 'talents'.

Rather than featuring scantily-clad models as in previous years, the 2017 Pirelli Calendar focuses on actresses, including Western household names such as Kidman, Uma Thurman, Penelope Cruz, Helen Mirren and Kate Winslet.

Here are their bios, according to Pirelli.

Alicia Vikander is a Swedish actress, dancer and producer. In 2014 and 2015 Vikander achieved global recognition and acclaim for her roles as activist Vera Brittain in Testament of Youth. In 2015 she appeared opposite Eddie Redmayne in the critically acclaimed film The Danish Girl. Photographed in Berlin.

Nicole Kidman is an Australian actress and film producer. Kidman’s break-through roles were in the 1989 feature film thriller Dead Calm and television thriller mini-series Bangkok Hilton. Photographed in Los Angeles.

is a Chinese actress. She is considered one of the Four Dan Actresses of China. Her first major role was in the Road Home. Photographed in Los Angeles.

Julianne Moore is an American-British actress, prolific in cinema since the early 1990s. She is particularly known for her portrayals of emotionally troubled women, in both art house and Hollywood films. Photographed in New York.

Uma Thurman is an American actress and model. She has performed in leading roles in a variety of films ranging from romantic comedies and dramas to science fiction and action movies. Photographed in New York.

is an American actress. She made her screen debut in the slasher film Urban Legends: Bloody Mary and went on to have a breakout role in the independent coming of age drama Tanner Hall.  She also starred in The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo and more recently Carol, opposite Cate Blanchett. Photographed in New York.

Robin Wright is an American actress and Director. She currently stars as Claire Underwood in the critically acclaimed series House of Cards for which she won the Golden Globe Award for Best Actress, making her the first actress to win a Golden Glove for a web television series. Photographed in New York.

Jessica Chastain is an American actress and film producer. She is known to prepare extensively for her roles which are typically emotionally gruelling ones across a range of genres. Photographed in New York.

Penelope Cruz Sanchez, known professionally as Penelope Cruz, is a Spanish actress and model. Signed by an agent at age 15 she made her acting debut at 16 on television and her feature film debut the following year in the critically acclaimed Jamon, Jamon. Photographed in New York.

is a Kenyan-Mexican actress and film director.  Immediately after graduating from Yale, Nyong’o landed her breakthrough role when she was cast for Steve McQueen’s historical drama 12 Years a Slave. Photographed in New York.

Charlotte Rampling, OBE, is an English actress, model and chanteuse, known for her work in European arthouse films in three languages, English, French and Italian.  Rampling is an icon of the Swinging Sixties. Photographed in London.

Dame Helen Mirren, DBE, is an English actress. She began her acting career with the Royal Shakespeare Company in 1967, and is one of the few performers who have achieved the Triple Crown of Acting. Photographed in London.

Kate Winslet, CBE, is an English actress and singer. She is the recipient of an Academy Award, an Emmy Award, four Golden Globe Awards, a Grammy Award, and three BAFTA Awards. Photographed in London.

is a French actress. She began her acting career in French cinema, appearing in films such as The Last Mistress and On War. Since then she appeared in major Hollywood films including Inglourious Basterds, Robin Hood and Mission Impossible – Ghost Protocol. Photographed in London.

Special guest: Anastasia Ignatova. She has a Degree in International Relations from the Faculty of Journalism and she teaches Political Theory at Moscow State University for the International Relations. She is an entrepreneur in the medical field and is passionate about design. In her spare time she designs and makes jewellery. She met Peter Lindbergh in 2015. Photographed in Le Touquet, France.

And still, not a spare tyre in sight!