Spider-Man may have found a new arch-nemesis in the Great White Way. The ambitious U2-backed musical “Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark” was dealt another blow this week as lead actor Alan Cumming officially cut his ties with the oft-delayed production.
Cumming cited a “scheduling conflict” as the reason for his recent withdrawal from the would-be Broadway production. The acclaimed Scottish thespian had carried lead billing as the Green Goblin.
In the statement, a representative for the production said, “Casting and a production schedule for ‘Spider-Man’ will be announced soon.”
Cumming’s departure is just the most recent hit for the beleaguered musical. In early March, lead actress Evan Rachel Wood also quit the cast due to scheduling concerns. Wood had been slated to play the girl-next-door love interest, Mary Jane Watson.
As it stands now, relative unknown Reeve Carney is the only cast member listed on the Broadway production’s official Web site. The rock musician was picked for the role of Peter Parker/Spider-Man by the play’s director and book co-writer Julie Taymor after working with her on the upcoming film “The Tempest.”
Production delays and financial difficulties have plagued the “Spider-Man” musical for the past year. The musical was reportedly scheduled to enter previews in fall 2009 before delays pushed back the musical’s opening to spring 2010 and then again to fall 2010.
Now even a late-year staging of the show seems questionable without a set cast and ballooning production costs. Recent reports from Variety have placed the current “Spider-Man” budget in the ballpark of $50 million, a sizeable jump from earlier estimates that placed production costs closer to $40 million.
