Marvel extends Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark license for the last time.

[rorschach37]

Posted: 7/5/10 at 12:05pm

Sorry if this has been posted before, but...

http://splashpage.mtv.com/2010/06/17/marvel-extends-spider-man-turn-off-the-dark-license-casts-new-green-goblin/

[gvendo2005]

Posted: 7/5/10 at 12:14pm

I first heard about the $52 million budget for Spider-Man, oddly enough, after seeing a commercial for the Christian Children's Fund. After hearing that a single dollar contribution could save the life of a starving Third World infant, I followed with mounting anger the appalling saga of how nearly 50 million dollars was squandered to indulge the whims and caprices of a minimally-talented, monumentally-egocentric, outrageously-spoiled juvenile posing as an adult and a director. The whole thing struck me as immoral - if not downright criminal. It was to cry!

With the way things are going, it won't be long, knock wood, before this turkey is finally canceled out-of-town and we can get rid of crazy investors who dared throw $50 million at an unstageable property, with the hope that more discerning money men will give us a better Broadway. It would've been better if we could have gotten rid of them without them losing their shirts in an unstable economy, but sometimes that's the price one pays.

Unless some miracle comes along and starts a spurt of actual progress, consider this one dead.

[ColorTheHours048]

Posted: 7/5/10 at 12:29pm

There has been a lot of progress going on in the Hilton as of late, actually. Friends of mine have walked by the theatre a few times and looked inside as much as they could and have reported that set pieces are indeed being put in place. One friend said they were giant black and white pieces that were made to look like comic print. There has also been a lot of casting going on. Actual casting, not just speculation.

If the production is moving along at this pace finally, we may get to see it live after all. I know I'm in the minority, but I'm totally excited for this. It may be an overblown theme park attraction masquerading as a Broadway show, but if the material, performances, and design are as good as I'm hoping they'll be, I'll take this over some of the duds we've gotten the past few seasons.

[Bettyboy72]

Posted: 7/5/10 at 12:37pm

Gvendo, you realize movies spend much more than that on their budgets? Are you mad about that too? Sex & The City 2 cost like 80 million to make. I'd rather money be spent on theatre than films anyday.

[finebydesign]

Posted: 7/5/10 at 12:39pm

I've seen the costumes and they are awesome! Very bright bright colors and audacious and A LOT of them.

[SNAFU]

Posted: 7/5/10 at 12:53pm

I've seen them too and all I can say Mardi Gras ick!

Updated On: 7/5/10 at 12:53 PM

[CapnHook]

Posted: 7/5/10 at 1:10pm

HAH! Mardi Gras! Spot on, SNAFU!

[quizking101]

Posted: 7/5/10 at 1:20pm

KILL THIS SHOW!...and bring back Young Frankenstein!

[broadwaybabe1234]

Posted: 7/5/10 at 1:49pm

^ agreed

[Proper Villain]

Posted: 7/5/10 at 2:05pm

$50M and, yet, it has one of the ugliest posters I've ever seen.

Also, couldn't at least some of the budget bought a better title?
Spider-Man:Hemorrhaging Money While Pissing-Off Fan Boys
Spider-Man: The Return of The Heterosexual Male Theatre-Goer

[blaxx]

Posted: 7/5/10 at 2:19pm

Love, heteros won't pay more than 11 bucks to see Spidey, let alone Spidey sing on a Broadway musical.

If Taymor was smart, she would just move her act to Vegas and be happy ever after.

[adamgreer]

Posted: 7/5/10 at 2:26pm

I don't think Marvel will be in a position to extend that license anymore anyway, given that Disney now owns the rights to the Marvel characters.

[blaxx]

Posted: 7/5/10 at 2:32pm

Does Disney really own the Marvel characters?

What does that mean for Universal parks, Disney parks competitors, which are full of rides featuring Marvel characters?

[jimmycurry01]

Posted: 7/5/10 at 2:40pm

Disney is now Marvel's parent company, but Marvel still has it's own set of business executives, and its own decision making crew, although all of their budget still likely needs to be OK'd by the folks at Disney, and the folks at Marvel will need to answer to them.
In any case, this is already a train wreck and is way out of control. I think it may be best just to can this whole thing so that all those involved can move on to things that can actually be staged.

[Proper Villain]

Posted: 7/5/10 at 5:04pm

You're forgetting the U2 angle and also all the innumerable fanboys they (and Spider-Man) have, along with all their disposable income.

[Broadway Joe]

Posted: 7/5/10 at 5:09pm

Universals theme park and Marvel have a contract and it universal will remain the same until the contract runs out.

[CarlosAlberto]

Posted: 7/5/10 at 5:15pm

Can someone please explain to me what "Turn Off The Dark" is supposed to mean?

[CAX]

Posted: 7/5/10 at 6:01pm

@ Proper Villian... I agree the target market is clear but "disposable income"? $100 bucks for a ticket to a Musical? This whole thing seems very ill conceived to me. After the bomb that was ENRON, I can't imagine anyone is thinking this has a shot at actually turning a profit.

[BrianS]

Posted: 7/5/10 at 7:19pm

"I followed with mounting anger the appalling saga of how nearly 50 million dollars was squandered to indulge the whims and caprices of a minimally-talented, monumentally-egocentric, outrageously-spoiled juvenile posing as an adult and a director. The whole thing struck me as immoral - if not downright criminal. It was to cry!"

gvendo, it's a bigger picture than you're making it out to be. I'm not defending Spiderman's budget, but broadway shows not only employ a lot of New Yorkers directly through these show budgets, but the shows then attract an incredible number of tourists who then spend money on food and hotels and all kinds of things that are good for our local economy. I actually think Broadway shows should get huge tax breaks, but that's another thread.

One could make the argument that instead of buying a computer to read Broadway sites for $500, you could have fed 50 people in Africa for a month. How we spend our money is completely relative and arbitrary, but Broadway budgets aren't immoral.

[SNAFU]

Posted: 7/5/10 at 10:15pm

I think the feeling is with $50 + million there could be three maybe even four shows of quality employing more people then this bloated Cirque Du Soliel wanna be, ego mastabutory production.

[finebydesign]

Posted: 7/5/10 at 10:24pm

"Universals theme park and Marvel have a contract and it universal will remain the same until the contract runs out."

The understanding is that Disney will have control of everything Marvel licensed by 2017. The theme park contracts will have expired by then and likely jumped parks.

There is some gossip about how this broadway show will help Disney own future reboots of the movie franchise. It's really an interesting acquisition.

[BwayTday]

Posted: 7/5/10 at 11:02pm

What does Enron have in common with Spider-Man?

[ColorTheHours048]

Posted: 7/6/10 at 1:07pm

What does Enron have in common with Spider-Man?

Absolutely nothing. I don't know where this comparison was drawn from. Yes, everyone knows what Enron is and what happened with it, but that doesn't mean people want to sit and watch a Broadway play about it. Especially not after the negativity it faced from the critics here.

Spiderman is a well-known, well-liked entity. It is a recognizable name. If this show finally opens, it's going to do remarkably well. Why? Because people will always pay to see more of what they're familiar with. Why does PHANTOM stay open? Because that mask represents Broadway to this country. Why does WICKED stay open? Because everyone says "Oh, my mother's best friend's sister says that was FABULOUS!" Why will SPIDERMAN do great business? Because it's f***ing SPIDERMAN!!! Even if it does take 5 years to recoup, it will. Because. It's. Spiderman.

Just because the "theatre community" thinks it's going to be a tank, that has no reflection on the show's key demographic: tourists, tourists, and lots of tourists who want to see Spiderman sling webs and do cool stuff. One tourist trap show will not ruin Broadway. Especially not after all the hurdles this one had to jump.
Updated On: 7/6/10 at 01:07 PM

[Fosse76]

Posted: 7/6/10 at 2:10pm

"The understanding is that Disney will have control of everything Marvel licensed by 2017. The theme park contracts will have expired by then and likely jumped parks."

No.

Universal has perpetual rights to the characters, as long as they are CURRENTLY in the park. If Universal closes Spiderman without a new ride based on the character already open, they lose the rights to him, and so on. The license does not expire, though the terms (i.e., licensing fees) may have a clause that requires re-negotiation every few years. It also prevents Disney from introducing attractions based on Marvel characters at its parks east of the Mississippi.

"There is some gossip about how this broadway show will help Disney own future reboots of the movie franchise. It's really an interesting acquisition. "

Disney doesn't own the film rights to Spiderman, so the musical will do nothing for Disney in that area. The re-boot is occuring because of the merger...which is why it's being rushed and re-cast. Sony would have lost the rights if they waited too long.

in fact, Disney can't really cash-in on Marvel the way people think they can. Marvel's most marketable properties (Spiderman, The Hulk, etc.) have already been licensed out to rival studios, so Disney is only going to get minimal benefits from the merger.

[Proper Villain]

Posted: 7/6/10 at 5:03pm

@ CAX - honestly, this has as good of chance as any other new show. Also, I imagine this will be HUGE in Germany, China, Japan, etc.