UPDATE – It looks like the possibility has become a reality. The New York Daily News is reporting that producers of “Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark” have officially fired director Julie Taymor. The show will also temporarily shut down while a new creative team is assembled to help fix the beleaguered production. No official word on when the musical will resume previews but the hiatus is expected to last at least three months. The cost for the shutdown is expected to be over $1.3 million per day.
We all suspected it would get to this point, I just think most of us felt it would’ve happened sooner rather than later. According to the New York Times, producers of “Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark” have told director Julie Taymor that she needs to agree to an extensive overhaul of the artistic direction of the musical or she will be fired. Taymor is in discussions with her producers, as well as Bono and The Edge, who wrote the music for the production, about how extensive the changes will need to be, who will be involved in the new creative team and when the show might actually open.
As of today, “Spider-Man” is still set to open on March 15th but it’s looking highly unlikely that will happen and when it’s finally announced, it will mark the sixth time the opening date has been delayed.
As of yesterday, it was unclear whether Taymor was accepting of the changes producers were requesting or if she was willing to walk away. The Times reports that Bono, who has been mostly separated from the New York City production, has taken an active role in the new negotiations.
There are reports that the production is looking at a number of new choreographers, playwrights and directors to either add to the current team or replace an existing member.
Taymor only recently made her first public comments about the trials and tribulations saying, “I am in the crucible right now. It is my trial by fire. It’s my company’s trial by fire.” Right now, her producers might feel like she’s guilty as charged.
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