Will Spider-Man Become Bway's Most Expensive Musical?

The New York Post's Michael Riedel writes that the upcoming Broadway musical Spider-Man might trail a $30 million price tag behind it, prospectively making the show the most expensive musical in Broadway history.

"The numbers are going to be astronomical," said a producer.  The musical, as previously announced, will be directed by Tony Award-winner Julie Taymor and will also feature costumes and "slick but bleak urban landscape" sets by the director.

Produced by Hello Entertainment/David Garfinkle, Martin McCallum, Marvel Entertainment, and SONY Pictures Entertainment (billing in formation), the musical will feature new music and lyrics created by U2's Bono and The Edge. A reading is scheduled to take place this summer. No dates for a Broadway opening have been confirmed at this time.

The Spider-Man musical will mark the first time a Marvel character has been the subject of a show on Broadway. In addition to co-producing the show, Hello Entertainment is arranging all financing for the project.

"Marvel continues to look to every entertainment medium to support the enduring popularity of our Super Heroes, and we are thrilled with the talent on board. The all star creative team -- led by Julie Taymor, Bono and The Edge -- is second to none, and we are certain this project will delight fans of Spider-Man and new audiences alike," said David Maisel, Chairman, Marvel Studios, whose previous Broadway credits include spearheading the 1999 Tony Award-winning Best Musical Fosse. 

A recent casting notice revealed that the musical, soon to be presented in an Equity 29-hour rehearsed reading, will be directed by Tony Award-winner Taymor, with music and lyrics by Bono and The Edge and a book by Taymor and Glen Berger.

The reading will also feature musical supervision by Teese Gohl.  Hello Entertainment/David Garfinkle, Martin McCallum, and Marvel Entertainment are the producers.  Rehearsals will begin on July 2nd in New York City, while the readings will take place on July 12th and 13th.

Producers are casting for the title role of teen superhero Peter Parker, as well as his sweetheart Mary Jane, the powerful spider-woman Arachne, scientist Norman Osborn (whose villainous alter ego is the Green Goblin), Daily Bugle publisher J. Jonah Jameson and a Geek Chorus, comprised of three teenage boys and one girl "who meet to ritualistically retell the greatest Spider-Man stories."

Created in 1962 and clad in his signature bewebbed blue and red, Spider-Man first appeared as a Marvel Comics superhero.  The franchise has since spawned a TV series, syndicated newspaper comics and a blockbuster series of films directed by Sam Raimi and starring Tobey Maguire and Kirsten Dunst.  The third Spider-Man movie will be released on May 4th.

Taymor, who won a Tony Award for directing the Broadway musical The Lion King and who is also known for equally visually imaginative films such as Titus and Frida, helmed the recent Metropolitan Opera production of The Magic Flute, as well as productions such as Juan Darien, The Tempest, and Oedipus Rex.

Photo - poster art from the first Spider-Man movie