BROADWAY FEUD

Julie Taymor Fights Countersuit

Says “Spider-Man” producers conspired against her.

The plot thickens in the ongoing feud between Julie Taymor and the producers of Broadway’s Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark, whom Taymor sued after she was fired as director of the $75 million musical. In a recent court filing, Taymor claimed the producers’ countersuit was “highly sensational, false and misleading” and “aimed at assassinating her character and professional reputation.” In her original suit, Taymor had argued that they blamed her for the show’s problems (actor injuries, technical difficulties) as an “opportunistic way” to reassure investors that the show would improve once it was “re-imagined.” She also said the producers continued to ask for her direction despite their plans to fire her, which they allegedly referred to as “Plan X.” The latest court filing includes a recounted email from Glenn Berger, her co–book writer, that reveals they were all conspiring against her. In the email, Berger writes about a meeting being postponed after Bono showed up drunk, “but the producers assured me the new plan was to implement JT’s vision for the next three weeks and…if they feel like they don’t have a hit, they’re going to shut down and implement ‘Plan X.’”