‘Spider-Man’ Ex-Director Julie Taymor and Producers Reach Settlement
The producers and ex-director of the Broadway musical Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark have reached a settlement in their long-running legal tussle over the musical’s artistic credit, profits and copyrights. Former director Julie Taymor and producers Michael Cohl and Jeremiah Harris shared a close relationship that splintered in March 2011 over creative disagreements; Taymor was fired for making big changes to the show after it was hit with negative reviews during preview performances.
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The terms of the settlement were not released, the New York Times reports, though a source close to Taymor says she received “significant” money from the deal that could total in the millions if the musical proves successful. Spider-Man is in its third year on Broadway, though it didn’t have an official opening until June 2011 due to repeated delays and disagreements. It’s one of Broadway’s top-grossing productions and boasts music by U2‘s Bono and the Edge, though ticket sales have slowed in recent months.
The $75 million staging, the most expensive in Broadway history, has weekly running expenses approximating $1.1 million; it grossed around $1.4 million last week. The new agreement will make it much easier for Cohl and Harris to move the Spider-Man musical to other domestic and international locations where labor and production costs aren’t as pricey as New York.