‘Spider-Man’ legal battle with Julie Taymor gets new trial date

The expected legal settlement between the producers of the Broadway musical “Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark” and director Julie Taymor has failed to materialize, leading a federal judge in New York to set a new trial date for the ongoing battle.

Judge Katherine B. Forrest has ordered that a trial date be set for May 28 in New York. The order, which is dated Friday, states that the two parties have until May 1 for the discovery process. The news was first reported Tuesday by the New York Times.

In August, the two sides of the case reached an agreement in principle but a formal settlement was apparently never reached.

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Taymor was fired from the musical in 2011 after a lengthy preview period that was marred by technical mishaps. She later sued producers Michael Cohl and Jeremiah Harris in late 2011, saying they violated her creative rights and owed her money for her work on the musical.

The main defendant in the case is 8 Legged Productions, the production company for the musical. The trial is also expected to include U2 musicians Bono and The Edge, who wrote the score for the show.

Cohl and Harris have countersued Taymor, saying she didn’t fulfill her duties on the show.

“Spider-Man” has a reported price tag of $75 million, making it the most expensive show in Broadway history. The musical is still running at the Foxwoods Theatre in New York.

The New York Times cited an unnamed source who said that both sides are still talking and that a settlement is still possible.

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