Exclusive: Showbiz411 has learned exclusively that director Julie Taymor has filed suit against the producers of the Broadway show she created, “Spider Man: Turn off the Dark.” I’m told that Taymor has named as the defendants Michael Cohl’s 8 Legged Productions. Taymor has been in arbitration negotiations for months trying to get some financial remuneration from the company. After creating the musical and working on it for nine years, she’s been paid just $150,000 for the production that carries a reported $70 million budget. Taymor was ousted by the producers last spring. Last week, the Tony Awards committee ruled that even though Taymor had been replaced as director of the show, only she qualified for a nomination. Developing…
Taymor’s attorney Charles Spada says: “As the lawsuit makes clear, 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, despite the fact that the show has consistently played to capacity or near-capacity houses since its first public performance in November 2010. Ms. Taymor regrets that the producers’ actions have left her no choice but to resort to legal recourse to protect her rights. Ms. Taymor continues to support the talented and hardworking cast and crew, and she remains proud of her creative work on the production for over seven years, not only as an author, but as the director, mask designer, and collaborator.”
