Wood Talks Spidey Musical

Spider-Man will soon be spinning a web over Broadway. The long-running comic-book hero will be the centerpiece of a new musical, beginning next summer.  

Rehearsals for the show have already begun with music coming from U2 and the Edge and will draw inspiration from a variety of sources including the comics, movies and various television series. It will also feature a brand-new nemesis for our favorite wall-crawler.

Actress Evan Rachel Woods recently revealed she’s been cast as Spider-Man’s love interest Mary Jane Watson for the upcoming musical production.

“I’m doing Spider-Man on Broadway, starting in June,” Wood told SciFi Wire. “After I colored my hair, I went, ‘Duh, Mary Jane.’ I sent a photo to the director. I’m really excited. It’s Julie Taymor, who did The Lion King on Broadway and she’s really kind of doing the same thing. [She] takes it to this whole other level. It’s awesome! It’s really spectacular. They’re using new technology and wirework.”

“It will pull some things from the films, but it’s based more on the comic book and the origin of Spider-Man. There’s going to be old villains and new villains. Wait until you see the villains. I wish I could tell you who the villain is. There’s one [new villain] that is more of a Greek mythology kind of thing.”

And while the pivotal role of Peter Parker/Spider-Man has yet to be cast, Woods did reveal that an actor has been offered the part, Jim Sturgess.

“He did the workshop with me, [and] we’re still trying to convince him to play Spider-Man. He’s such a huge U2 fan, and there was one time he was learning a song and Bono and The Edge were playing the other parts, so they were basically being his backup singers. And I just remember taking him aside and going, ‘Bono and The Edge were just your backup singers! Can you just enjoy this moment for me right now, please?'”

Everyone’s favorite neighborhood webcrawler will leave the singing to his alter-ego, however, focusing on action rather than music when he dons the skintight red and blue. “Spider-Man never sings in tights, only as Peter Parker,” Wood said with a laugh. “A man does not sing in spandex, so that was a big deal.”

The show should surface on Broadway in late 2009 after a lengthy rehearsal process. “We start [rehearsals] in June and go up in October,” Wood said. “It’s going to be a year in total. I’ve always wanted to do it, and I’m never going to get another opportunity like that.”

And for those of you who are skeptical and saying–“Really, a musical about Spider-Man?!?”, just recall that may have been the reaction many people had when Andrew Lloyd Weber decided to do a musical about the Phantom of the Opera…