SPIDER-MAN MUSICAL NO MORE

Let's all take a collective sigh of relief with that headline. Ahhhhhh, that's better. You read that right readers, Spider-Man, Turn Off the Dark musical is no more.

Last week, Michael Riedel reported that work on next year's Spider-Man, Turn Off the Dark had been put on "hiatus" after producers ran out of money. Now, in today's Post, he says the actors are being released from their contracts, which certainly doesn't bode well for the show's planned opening next February.

This is reportedly the fault of the show's producers, Sony, Marvel, and David Garfinkle, a Chicago lawyer with practically no Broadway experience who's been unable to rein in Julie Taymor's expensive impulses and watched the budget swell to a hilarious $45 million. Riedel says a move to replace Garfinkle last week was unsuccessful because more experienced producers know better than to sign up for a probable disaster. Also, speaking with a math-capable source, Riedel says Spider-Man would have to play sold-out shows for five years just to break even. Looks like Josh Bednarsky might've dodged a bullet on this one.

Damn straight this Josh guy dodged a bullet, as did we all. Sounds like this project will never see the light of day and that my friends, is a very good thing.