'Spider-Man' May Go Dark for Julie Taymor

When the $65 million Broadway mega-production 'Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark' was entrusted to Julie Taymor, it seemed like nothing could go wrong. The Tony Award-winning director of the enormously successful 'The Lion King' was essentially a fail-safe to lead the biggest musical production in Broadway history. And with a score by living rock legends U2's Bono and The Edge, the show's destiny as a wild success seemed set in stone.

But Taymor's genius vision took on a life of its own before the first rehearsal even started, before the first nail was ever hammered into the set. One near-bankruptcy, one major cast overhaul, five delayed openings, four cast injuries (one nearly fatal) and a slew of scathing reviews later, the production looks nowhere near ready for its March 15 opening. And, according to The New York Times, the producers are in talks for a major creative overhaul, which might even include saying goodbye to Taymor.

According to anonymous sources, the negotiations, which took place on Monday, involved expanding Taymor's team so she has more creative support. There was also talk of rewriting the script and score and, once again, setting a new date for its release. But the most drastic piece of information to emerge from the talks was the possibility of Taymor walking away.

Taymor, who was initially recruited by Bono and The Edge when the duo first came up with the idea for the superhero musical, has been their creative partner from the get-go. Despite admitting that the production is flawed, she has asserted that it's headed in the right direction. But if the producers' ideas, or, more likely, demands, for improvements don't align with Taymor's ambitious vision, they have no qualms about showing her the door.

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