Taymor Sues ‘Spider-Man’ Producers

The former director and co-author of the embattled “Spider-Man: Turn Off The Dark” Broadway musical has taken aim at the show’s producers with a new lawsuit seeking at least $1 million and future royalty payments.

Julie Taymor filed suit in U.S. District Court in New York Nov. 8 alleging producers Michael Cohl and Jeremiah Harris violated her creative rights and breached agreements regarding her contract.

In a statement, Taymor’s attorney Charles Spada noted 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.”

Taymor was fired as director of the $75 million production in March after years of delays, injuries to cast members and critical backlash. She has reportedly been in arbitration negotiations with the producers in the time since in efforts to receive a financial settlement.

According to the suit, Taymor was recently sent a check for $52,880 to cover her co-bookwriting royalties before the show shut down for a creative revamp in April.

But Taymor contends the show’s book wasn’t ever changed completely and “copies entire scenes, dialogue blocks, themes, plot lines, narrative arcs, characters, and descriptions of stage activity,” the suit says.

“In total, over 350 lines of dialogue and descriptions of stage activity – nearly one quarter of the infringing book – are copied verbatim from Taymor’s original book.”

The suit alleges producers continue to “promote, use, change and revise” her work, yet “continue to refuse to pay Taymor any royalties for performances after April 17, 2011.”

Taymor claims she is owed more than $70,000 in additional book royalties to date plus continuing royalties of nearly $3,000 per week as the show continues public performances.

The suit seeks compensatory and statutory damages, a declaratory judgment and injunctive relief.

Producers responded in a statement that “the production has indeed compensated Ms. Taymor for her contribution as a co-book writer. The court system will provide, once and for all, an opportunity to resolve this dispute.”