Spider-Man: Turn Off The Dark Makes Changes

Posted by Tom Mason Categories: Editorials, Marvel Comics,

When a comic book title starts to suffer a long decline of sales, the publisher tries to turn things around by bringing in a new creative team.

And apparently when a Broadway musical based on a comic book gets horrible reviews, repeatedly injures its cast, repeatedly delays its official opening night and looks to be a huge embarrassment, they also make some changes.

The producers of the troubled Spider-Man: Turn Off The Dark musical have done just that. They’ve kicked the original director Julie Taymor to the curb and brought in a new director - Philip William McKinley - and at least one person who is actually familiar with Spider-Man: writer Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa.

They’ll be making some changes to the extravaganza and one of our Broadway spies was able to slip me an internal memo of the reworking that's going on prior to the show’s latest official opening date sometime in the summer of possibly this year.

Here then are the Top 10 Changes The New Creative Team Is Making To Spider-Man: Turn Off The Dark:

Click to continue reading Spider-Man: Turn Off The Dark Makes Changes

Weekend Reading: Green Lantern, Joss Whedon, Jack Kirby And James Bond

Posted by Tom Mason Categories: Editorials, Movies, Television, DC Comics,

I spent Thanksgiving outside the US this year so I’m stuffed with stir-fried shrimp and chocolate ice cream, which made for an excellent breakfast of leftovers, because that's just how I roll.

If you’re out and about shopping now for the holidays, here’s the best Holiday Shopping Gift Guide you’re ever going to need for the 2010 credit card season, courtesy of Tom Spurgeon at The Comics Reporter.

Let’s see what else is going on:

Green Lantern: If you’ve been in awe of the new Ryan Reynolds trailer for Green Lantern, there’s at least one person with an alternate view worth reading: Ricky Sprague at Project Child Murdering Robot. “The Green Lantern Corps is their ‘muscle,’ enforcing their rules of righteousness. They take creatures from various parts of the universe and have them fight 'evil.' There are lots of different GLs, made up of different species from different planets. You can see where this is starting to get lame.”

Click to continue reading Weekend Reading: Green Lantern, Joss Whedon, Jack Kirby And James Bond

Weekend Reading: Breyfogle, Ellis, Craven, and Spider-Man Sings!

Posted by Tom Mason Categories: Editorials, Movies, Reviews, Independent, Marvel Comics,

I can’t believe the Spider-Man musical will hit Broadway on December 21. Are there really enough little old ladies who want to take the bus in from Long Island on a Wednesday afternoon to see an all-singing, all-dancing super-hero? That’s quite a bit different from Starlight Express and Cats, right? My prediction: It’ll close before the Tonys are announced, but then a touring version will criss-cross America for years with Jake Lloyd, Mischa Barton, Gabe Kaplan and Angela Lansbury in key roles.

Now let’s see what else is going on:

Scott Pilgrim I: Over at John Scalzi’s Whatever, guest blogger John Anderson bows down before the triumph that is Scott Pilgrim Vs. The World.

Scott Pilgrim II: The Early Word takes a look at how a comic book movie adaptation might help sales of said comic and then delivers a slap to the way DC Comics handles itself. “However, those intrigued by the Green Lantern movie are unlikely to be engaged by the continuity-heavy, you-must-buy-every-single-collection tale like Blackest Night. The folks buying Blackest Night? They are already Green Lantern comics fans.”

Click to continue reading Weekend Reading: Breyfogle, Ellis, Craven, and Spider-Man Sings!

Carney Talks Spider-Man Musical

Posted by Robin Paulson Categories: Marvel Comics,

In a much-too-long YouTube video, musician Reeve Carney talks about donning the red and blue bodysuit for Broadway.

“We just wanted to get up here on YouTube today to tell you something important to us, and to maybe some people who are fans of certain comic books. Okay, basically, let’s cut to the chase—we wanted to confirm the rumors going around the internet today that I, Reeve Carney, will in fact be playing Peter Parker, the amazing Spider-Man, in the Broadway production of Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark.”

Click to continue reading Carney Talks Spider-Man Musical

Read More | Just Jared

Spider-Man on Broadway gets Release date

Posted by Todd Matthy Categories: Editorials,

I don’t believe it but Marvel.com confirmed, Spider-Man’s Broadway release date will be Thursday, February 18, 2010 at Broadway’s Hilton Theatre, with previews starting in January. The play’s title is “Spider-Man: Turn off the Dark” with music by Bono and the Edge and Julie Taymor directing.

The story will be “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.”

Evan Rachel Wood will portray Mary Jane Watson but no other cast members have been announced. Go to Marvel.com and SpidermanOnBroadway.com for more information and ticket sales.