Spider-Man director sues producers

 

A director of 'Spider-Man: Turn Off The Dark' is suing the producers of the troubled Broadway production and her former co-writer.

Julie Taymor says they violated her creative rights and have not compensated her for the work she put into Broadway’s most expensive musical. She is seeking a minimum of $1m.

Charles Spada, an attorney who filed the suit on behalf of the Tony Award-winning director, said in a statement that “the producers’ actions have left her no choice but to resort to legal recourse to protect her rights”.

The lawsuit seeks half of all profits, gains and advantages derived from the sale, license, transfer or lease of any rights in the original Spider-Man book along with a permanent ban of the use of Ms Taymor’s name or likeness in connection with a documentary film that was made on the controversy-dogged development of the musical without her written consent.

It also seeks a jury trial to determine her share of profits from the unauthorised use of her version of the superhero story, which the lawsuit said was believed to be in excess of a million dollars.

Ms Taymor, who had been the Spider-Man director and co-book writer, was fired from the $75m musical, which features music by U2’s Bono and The Edge, in March after years of delays, accidents and critical backlash.

It opened in November but spent months in previews before opening a few days after the Tony Awards in June.

Philip William McKinley, who directed the Hugh Jackman musical 'The Boy From Oz' in 2003, was hired to steer the ship. He was billed as creative consultant when the musical opened.

Despite its troubles, the stunt-heavy and expensive show has been doing brisk business since, most weeks easily grossing more than the $1.2m the producers have indicated they need to reach to stay viable. Last week, it took in $1.4m, and 86% of the 1,930-seat Foxwoods Theatre in New York was filled.

According to Mr Spada’s statement, “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”.

The lawsuit said the producers continued to “promote, use, change and revise” her work, including the book of the musical, without her approval. It said that her contracts called for no changes to be made without her consent. She also is suing Glen Berger, her former collaborator on the musical’s story.

According to the lawsuit, the producers’ lawyers belatedly sent Ms Taymor a check for 52,880 dollars on November 4, purportedly as payment of her co-bookwriter royalties for performances of the musical through to April 17, the last performance of the show before the revisions.

“The producers, however, continue to refuse to pay Taymor any royalties for performances after April 17, 2011,” the lawsuit said. It said she is owed more than $70,000 in additional book royalties to date, along with royalties of nearly $3,000 per week for performances.

The lawsuit said nearly one quarter of the new Spider-Man book is copied verbatim from Ms Taymor’s original book. It claims producers have kept her name on promotional materials such as billboards and merchandise “while refusing to compensate Taymor as she is entitled”.

Her lawsuit comes less than a week after the Tony Awards Administration Committee ruled that only she will be considered eligible for the show’s Tony for best direction of a musical category. The lawsuit said the awards committee rejected the producer’s contention that Mr McKinley had changed the musical into a “new” production.

Ms Taymor, who also helmed 'The Lion King', is also seeking compensation through the union that represents theatre directors. The Stage Directors and Choreographers Society filed an arbitration claim in June against the show’s producers over unpaid royalties.

The legal fights are in contrast to the wide smiles and hugs shared by the creative team, who reunited on opening night on the red carpet and Spider-Man stage. In the months since then, Ms Taymor hasn’t spoken at length about the behind-the-scenes turmoil, but has said she is still proud of the show and is not bitter.