Broadway News
Spider-Man Files Countersuit Against Julie Taymor
Oh boy. Remember back on November 10 when I reported that fired Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark director Julie Taymor was suing the production for profits, claiming they were using her work without payment? Well, now the production is suing her right back.
The Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark producers are claiming that Taymor "refused to fulfill her contractual obligations, declaring that she could not and would not do the jobs that she was contracted to do." In other words, the producers are saying that Taymor was hired to co-write as well as direct the musical, according to their vision, and she didn't do that.
In their countersuit, the show's producers state that not only should Taymor be denied the royalties she is requesting, but that, from this point on, her name should be erased from anything having to do with the current Broadway production or any subsequent productions.
In a statement released yesterday, the Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark lawyers lay the claim that "Taymor refused to develop a musical that followed the original, family-friendly Spider-Man story, which was depicted in the Marvel comic books and the hugely successful motion picture trilogy based on them. Instead, Taymor, who admits that she was not a fan of the Spider-Man story prior to her involvement with the musical, insisted on developing a dark, disjointed and hallucinogenic musical involving suicide, sex and death."
"Hallucinogenic" is pretty much a perfect way to describe what the show looked and felt like before closing for several weeks last spring and undergoing a major overhaul. It's generally agreed that Taymor's vision for the show was less than inspired, but is it grounds for a lawsuit? If the show's lawyers can prove that Taymor is indeed in breach of contract, it may well be.
This whole Spider-Man lawsuit debacle is more compelling than most legal dramas on TV today. We'll keep following the developments, so stay tuned for further updates!
Photo credit: Taylor Hill/Getty Images
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