Julie Taymor Files Suit Against Producers of Broadway’s Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark

Julie Taymor has filed a lawsuit against the producers of Broadway’s Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark, according to a report in Variety.

The trade publication quotes a statement from Taymor’s lawyer, Charles Spada, who claims “the defendants have violated Ms. Taymor’s creative rights as an author of ‘Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark’ […] Moreover, the producers have failed to compensate Ms. Taymor for their continued use of her work to date.”

Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark is inspired by over 40 years of Marvel comic books. It follows the story of teenager Peter Parker, whose unremarkable life is turned upside-down when he’s bitten by a genetically altered spider and must learn that with great powers comes great responsibility.

After a much-publicized preview period, Taymor was sidelined from the musical with Philip William McKinley being brought on board to implement new staging prior to the show’s official press opening. In the program, she is credited with “original direction,” as well as a co-book writer and mask designer. As previously reported, the Tony Awards Administration Committee recently determined that Taymor will be eligible for a Tony Award in the category of Best Direction of a Musical for her work in Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark.