The producers of Broadway's Spider-Man musical, written by U2's Bono and The Edge, have filed a countersuit against the musical's ousted director Julie Taymor, accusing her of jeopardising the production by not caring about ticket sales.
The 66-page filing submitted in federal court in New York by producers Michael Cohl and Jeremiah J Harris, accuses Ms Taymor of "developing a dark, disjointed and hallucinogenic musical," and it comes in response to Taylor's lawsuit against them which she filed in November.
After a disastrous start that saw injuries to actors and opening night delays, Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark has been packing in audiences on Broadway. It made a record-setting $2.9 million (€2.27 million) from Christmas to New Year's Day, according to figures from industry website The Broadway League.
The stunt-heavy musical based on Marvel Comics' most famous character, which cost over $70 million to bring to the stage with music by Bono and The Edge, was reworked after Taymor was fired from the production in March 2011.
Ms Taymor, the Tony-winning director of The Lion King, worked on the musical's original book - the non-sung words - before she left the show.
Her copyright infringement lawsuit filed against the Spider-Man producers last year argued that, after the show was revamped, the producers continued to make "unauthorised and unlawful use" of her written works.
But lawyers for the producers, in their countersuit filed yesterday stated that Ms Taymor breached her duties to co-write and collaborate on the musical.
"Taymore refused to develop a musical that followed the original, family-friendly 'Spider-Man' story, which was depicted in the Marvel comic books and the hugely successful motion picture trilogy based on them," the lawsuit stated.
"Instead, Taymor, who admits that she was not a fan of the Spider-Man story prior to her involvement with the musical, insisted on developing a dark, disjointed and hallucinogenic musical involving suicide, sex and death."
An attorney for Ms Taymor could not be reached for comment. Her lawsuit stated she suffered over $1 million in damages.
The countersuit filed by producers yesterday brought to light what it described as conflicts between Ms Taymor's creative desires and the show's need to turn a profit. At one point, Ms Taymor used an expletive to say that she did not care "about audience reaction" to the musical, the lawsuit stated.
Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark received poor reviews when it opened under Ms Taymor's direction in preview shows in late 2010, and the production suffered cast member injuries in its first weeks.
When it officially opened in June 2011, after Ms Taymor's ouster, critics only warmed slightly to the new show. But audiences, who were drawn in part by the show's sensational publicity, began to make the show a hit.
The musical has grossed over $81 million to date, according to The Broadway League.
Reuters