Spider-Man could arrive on Broadway in 2009

The new musical based on comic book hero Spider-Man could arrive on Broadway as early as 2009 according to Marvel Chairman David Maisel. The iesb.net movie reporter reports that Maisel made the claim while addressing the Thomas Weisel Consumer Conference in New York.

Earlier rumours predicited the show would not make its debut before 2010 because of the challenge of finding a suitable theatre available on Broadway.

However, it appears that with most of the work on the musical now complete, the search for a suitable theatre is now underway in earnest, making it possible that old Spidey could be spinning his web on Broadway this season.

Auditions for the roles of Peter Parker (Spider-Man), Mary Jane (Spidey's girlfriend) and for another pronciple female role (character not named) where recently held. It is not known who, if anyone has been cast, though following the news that the show could bow on Broadway in 2009, it may not belong before an official cast announcement is made.

Spider-Man will be directed by Julie Taymor, who was the first female director to receive a Tony for Best director for her work in Walt Disney's Broadway musical, The Lion King.

Bono and The Edge have written for the stage before, composing songs for a Royal Shakespeare Company production of 'A Clockwork Orange' in the 1990s.

Little is known about the plot for Spider-Man, though a reading of the musical in New York on 12 and 13 Jul 2007 included the characters 'Peter Parker/Spider-Man,' his love interest 'Mary Jane,' super-villain 'Norman Osborn/Green Goblin,' and 'J. Jonah Jameson,' publisher of The Daily Bugle.

A Variety report in Apr 2007 said the musical would include two villains "Norman Osborn, aka the Green Goblin, and the seductive she-Spidey Arachne. Also in the mix is something called a 'Geek Chorus,' a group of comicbook fanboys (and a token fangirl)."

Spider-Man will be produced by Marvel Entertainment in association with Hello Entertainmet, David Garfinkle and Martin McCallum.