Director Julie Taymor Unveils Broadway's Spider-Man

It will not be Jim Sturgess slinging webs on Broadway in the new comic book musical Spider-Man Turn of the Dark. Instead, director Julie Taymor (Across the Universe) has hired another young actor she recently cast in a film version of Shakespeare's The Tempest. Reeve Carney will play Peter Parker to Evan Rachel Wood's Mary Jane Watson, and here's a look at the 26-year-old actor.

In addition to acting, Carney is the lead singer of a band that features his last name, and is the final piece of the puzzle to the 2010 Marvel musical, which will open at the Hilton Theatre in New York in a few months. “Having recently finished shooting The Tempest with Reeve as the young prince, I am thrilled to cast him in an entirely different role as Peter Parker in Spider-Man," Taymor said in a statement. "When I first saw Reeve, he was performing with his terrific band Carney. The music of Bono and Edge requires an extraordinary talent— not only is Reeve a great rock and roll singer but his acting is equally fresh and authentic.”

Click to read more ...

'Spider-Man, Turn off the Dark' on Broadway Next February

I just received an e-mail about the Spider-Man musical headed to Broadway. We now have a title, a theatre, and information about when the run begins, although we're still waiting for final confirmation on casting. Across the Universe director Julie Taymor is bringing Spider-Man, Turn off the Dark to Broadway's Hilton Theatre beginning Thursday, February 18, 2010. Preview performances commence on Saturday, January 16th. Taymor has worked with Bono and The Edge from U2, who will supply new music and lyrics for the play, which Taymor co-wrote with Glen Berger. Evan Rachel Wood has said she will play Mary Jane Watson in the musical, and she's hinted that her Across the Universe co-star Jim Sturgess is Taymor's top choice for the role of Peter Parker. Taymor has had success on stage before, directing The Lion King and Mozart's The Magic Flute, but even those might not be on the scale of Spider-Man, which is said to cost between $30 and $40 million. Sign up for updates at Spider Man on Broadway. (And thanks to Aaron for the e-mail.)

'Spider-Man' Musical Will Feature New Villain, But Will It Star Jim Sturgess?

We already know that director Julie Taymor wants to reunite her Across the Universe stars for the upcoming Spider-Man musical on Broadway. Evan Rachel Wood has already committed to playing Mary-Jane, and now she's talking a little bit more about what we can expect , no matter who plays Peter Parker.

"It's a year commitment," says Wood. "I did the workshop with Jim Sturgess, but he's not sure if he can make that year commitment but we're trying to get him to do it. I want him to do it so bad." That would be ideal for Taymor, and perhaps even for Sturges, who has kind of been lukewarm on the idea all along. If he can prove he can play a superhero on stage, that could set him up nicely for a film franchise of some kind down the line, if he's looking for that kind of thing. Of course, it would help if the Spider-Man musical is worth its salt. Wood says "stuff from the first and second films and some stuff from the comic books" have been used to create the story, and we'll have a new villain, as well, plus music by Bono and The Edge. And that all sounds great but...Spider-Man singing?

Click to read more ...

Evan Rachel Wood is Mary Jane in 'Spider-Man' Musical

Across the Universe director Julie Taymor is reuniting with at least one of her leads from that film for the Broadway production of Spider-Man: The Musical. Evan Rachel Wood told reporters that she has signed on to play Mary Jane Watson in the musical, which begins production next summer and is likely to hit the stage in 2010.

Taymor, whose career began in the theatre, has been pressing for Jim Sturgess, the breakout star of Across the Universe, to join the musical as Peter Parker/Spider-Man. According to Wood, producers are "still trying to persuade him."

Click to read more ...