Will Spiderman Still be able to Spin a Web with "Jazz Hands?"

Could Spiderman’s latest nemesis be Theater Critic Man?

It’s looking like your friendly neighborhood Spiderman will be swinging onto "The Great White Way" in Spiderman: The Musical sometime next year.

There hasn’t been news this surprising about the Spiderman franchise since they tapped Tobey Maguire (seriously?) to play the role back in 2002. Sure, his physique eventually grew to fill out the spandex suit, but his voice remains as thin as ever.

Before we write off the idea of a musical interpretation of Spidey as a complete train wreck you should consider the following:

Julie Taymor, the lady who reinvented musical theater with The Lion King, and directed the psychedelic Beatles tribute film Across The Universe, will be masterminding this production. Hakuna Matata, people.

And, with any musical, of course the real question is what will the music be like? Well that all depends on how you feel about two blokes named Bono and The Edge? The score and lyrics have already been completed. The Edge is no stranger to scoring with superheroes (so to speak), he wrote the dark theme song to the short-lived, but beloved by geeks-o-plenty, “The Batman” animated series

So now you have a brilliant director and two legendary rockers on board, the next thing on the “to do list” is to cast the leads. It was widely reported that Jim Sturgess, who starred in Taymor’s Across the Universe, would don the Spidey suit, and, that he would be reunited with female lead, Evan Rachel Wood (who I have had a deep and abiding love for ever since  “Once and Again”).

Sadly, they were unable to untangle themselves from other projects.

So, Taymor and Co. had to cast a wider web for the lead parts. It has not yet been announced whether or not they’ve found a dynamic duo, but it’s likely that they will be heroes of stage rather than screen.

Taymor’s image is far from transplanting the movie version onto the stage. In fact, she wants to return to Spiderman’s ink roots and base it on the Marvel comic books. Her vision is to weave together a stage spectacular, that would include trapezes, puppets and innovative costumes. “I hope it will be a cross between a play, rock 'n' roll and circus,” she said. Talk about walking a tightrope! In the wrong hands it could end up very Cirque du Soliel-ish (only more gay-er), but I trust her to make this work.

Whatever they come up with, I pray it at least pays homage to the catchy 1967 cartoon theme song. C’mon people sing with me:

Comments

[Heidi]

I think your title is supposed to say Spiderman? Instead of Superman?

[makyo]

i really don't understand the recent trend of turning decidedly non-musical films into massive broadway stage productions. i know some of them have been successful, but it seems so random!

[Gray Matter]

DOH. Fixed it people, commence positive comments.

[bd]

I bow to Julie Taymor's genius. I would see it even if it is about Spiderman. Too bad no Jim Sturgess though...

[Gray Matter]

Do not even get me started about Jim Sturgess not being in the lead roll. I think he would have been amazing and frankly would be better in the movie role as well.

[jodifur]

This is a joke, right? Right? I love musicals but come on!

[Karen]

No. NO. NOOOO. Right now my brother--the biggest Spiderman fan I ever knew--is rolling over in his grave. Please, for the love of peanut butter, accept that not every movie or story is meant to be put to song.

[Frank M]

I'm trying to picture the pitch session with Julie Taymor and her people and Stan Lee and his..

I think U2 did some of the music for Batman Forever..

Actually, along the lines of movies migrating to Broadway.. what about "American Psycho" with Christian Bale?

[Gray Matter]

You know if I had to think of a "The worst idea since..." it would have been American Psycho: The Musical...and yet, it's in the works.
Are there no original thoughts in the world?

[sassystitcher]

Finally! American Psycho: The Musical is the perfect place for Jerry's outfit from the first Project Runway of this season!