Spider-Man, Turn Off The Dark: Is Alan Cumming to star as the Green Goblin?

Michael Riedel of the New York Post reports that Alan Cumming is in negotiations to play the 'Green Goblin' in the upcoming Broadway musical, Spider-man, Turn Off The Dark, opening at the Hilton Theatre on 18 Feb 2010, following previews from 16 Jan 2010.

Cumming's is no stranger to playing Marvel characters. He played the super-hero 'Nightcrawler' in the movie 'X-Men 2.'

Cumming made his Broadway debut as the 'Master of Ceremonies' in 'Cabaret' (1998) for which he won a Tony Award for Best Actor in a Musical. His other Broadway credits are 'Design For Living' (Otto: 2002 revival) and 'The Threepenny Opera' (Macheat: revival 2006).

Casting for the musical is still to be announced. Evan Rachel Wood (Mary Jane) announced in Dec 08 on E! that she had been cast in the role of 'Mary Jane,' but there has been no official confirmation.

Directed by Tony Award-winner Julie Taymor, with 22-time Grammy Award-winning Bono and The Edge creating new music and lyrics, Spider-man, Turn Off The Dark will be written by Julie Taymor and Glen Berger, and choreographed by Daniel Ezralow.

Drawing from over forty years of Marvel comic books for inspiration, Spider-man spins a new take on the mythic tale of a young man propelled from a modest rowhouse in Queens to the sky-scraping spire of the Chrysler Building, the bustling offices of the Daily Bugle, through the dizzying canyons of Manhattan, to new vistas never before seen.

The musical follows the story of teenager Peter Parker, whose unremarkable life is turned upside-down�literally�when he�s bitten by a genetically altered spider and wakes up the next morning clinging to his bedroom ceiling. This bullied science-geek�suddenly endowed with astonishing powers�soon learns, however, that with great power comes great responsibility as villains test not only his physical strength but also his strength of character.

Spider-Man�s battles will hurtle the audience through an origin story both recognizable and unexpected--yielding new characters as well as familiar faces--until a final surprising confrontation casts a startling new light on this hero�s journey.

The design team for Spider-man includes George Tsypin (Sets), Eiko Ishioka (Costumes), Donald Holde (Lighting) and Jonathan Deans (Sound).

Spider-man will be produced on Broadway by Hello Entertainment/David Garfinkle, Martin McCallum, Marvel Entertainment/David Maisel, Sony Pictures Entertainment, and Jeremiah Harris.

Tickets for Spider-man will go on sale to the general public in June 2009.