Could Spider-Man The Musical Top Spider-Man 3?

Posted by Brian C. Gibson (brian@filmschoolrejects.com) on September 24, 2008

You heard it right. Yet another article about a musical, from the guy who hates musicals. There is a silver lining to this one though. I have said before that I really don’t like musicals, unless something within the subject matter is an extreme interest to me. For instance, I really liked Across The Universe because I am a huge fan of The Beatles. So when the characters would start to belt out some songs I’d normally stop paying attention, but it was a different story when they were singing my favorite Beatles tunes.

So how else can you draw someone like me into a musical? How about a musical about a comic book character…that would do it. There has been some rumbling about Julie Taymor’s Spider-Man musical for a while now. It was originally slated for a 2010 release, but IESB has reported that Marvel Studios chairman David Maisel has announced an early 2009 release. So with the play being pushed forward, that means they must be making some progress right?

Cinematical had a chance to sit with the man playing Peter Parker, Jim Sturgess. Sturgess divulged the fact he and Evan Rachel Wood, who will be playing Mary Jane, were working in a musical workshop with Taymor. So with none of this being news, this is…a spy attended the workshops and had very high praises for the production. Concerning the two young performers -

I was privileged to get to attend a workshop of Spider-Man (hopefully to be on Broadway) the week before Christmas. Saw Evan Rachel Wood and Jim Sturgess. They are both vocal powerhouses, both very tall, very attractive. So much chemistry, I’d be worried if I was Marilyn Manson. ERW plays the role of Mary Jane perfectly. she puts Kirsten Dunst to shame. Which isn’t a surprise, it doesn’t take much, but ERW’s acting and singing abilities make her the leading talent among her peers. As for the unlikely choice of Jim Sturgess for Peter Parker, his American accent is flawless and he has the mischievous sparkle that Tobey Maguire lacks in his wooden acting.

Sounds like we found something to wash that dirty taste out of our mouths from Spider-Man 3. Also, it seems that Taymor has recruited another performer from her hit Across The Universe. Bono and The Edge will be lending their hands to the performance, providing much of the musical backdrop to the production. I think I just may have found a musical that I actually want to see.

What do you think, could Spider-Man The Musical make up for what was lost with Spider-Man 3?

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