The long-awaited Spider-Man musical with music by U2 members Bono and The Edge, will open on Broadway in December, the show’s producers said on Tuesday, after being caught in financial problems. The musical is directed by Julie Taymor of Lion King fame.
“Spider-Man Turn Off The Dark,” which has been in the making for several years and was originally due to open earlier this year, will begin preview performances on November 14 with opening night set for December 21, the show’s producer Michael Cohl said in a statement.
Inspired by the Marvel Comics hero that has also been turned into a series of Hollywood films, the musical will spin a new take on the story of teenage science geek Peter Parker, who is bitten by a genetically-altered spider and wakes up the next morning clinging to the ceiling, the producer said.
The musical is expected to the most expensive in Broadway history, with local media reporting it to cost up to $50 million to stage.
The title character will be played by actor and singer Reeve Carney, who fronts rock band Carney and appeared in the film, “Snow Falling on Cedars.”
Jennifer Damiano of the Broadway musical “Next to Normal” has replaced Evan Rachel Wood to play Mary Jane Watson, and Patrick Page from “The Lion King” replaces Alan Cumming to play Normon Osborn/The Green Goblin.