What happened to Julie Taymor?

[binau]

Posted: 1/29/26 at 5:01pm

Is she retired? I assume she is set for life on Lion King royalties so doesn't need to work. I didn't realise she was already in her 70s, time is flying by. 

[BrodyFosse123]

Posted: 1/29/26 at 5:16pm

She’s currently working on THE GRAND DELUSION, an upcoming musical project with composer Elliot Goldenthal. It is an adaptation of Thomas Mann’s novella THE TRANSPOSED HEADS. The production has undergone workshops, including a notable session in May 2024. 

[Broadway61004]

Posted: 1/29/26 at 5:19pm

Spider-Man was enough to end anyone's career.

[Dolly80]

Posted: 1/29/26 at 5:32pm

If I was her- I’d just live on those Lion King dollars!

Updated On: 1/29/26 at 05:32 PM

[spicemonkey]

Posted: 1/29/26 at 5:46pm

Broadway61004 said: "Spider-Man was enough to end anyone's career."

Yea, that epic failure can’t be written off from the resume. 

 

If I have Lion King paychecks coming in for the rest of my life, I would retire and open a book store , hehe

Updated On: 1/29/26 at 05:46 PM

[Alex Kulak2]

Posted: 1/29/26 at 6:19pm

Broadway61004 said: "Spider-Man was enough to end anyone's career."

I know not everyone on this board is the biggest fan of Sweaty Oracle, but he brought up a good point: The Lion King is the highest grossing piece of theatre ever made. It has put more money into the Broadway ecosystem than any show ever has or likely ever will, and a lot of that had to do with Julie Taymor's direction.

Surely by now, that's enough to atone for one flop that she wasn't even working on by the time it opened.

[Merkin2]

Posted: 1/29/26 at 6:29pm

I saw her at the ford foundation a couple years ago for Gloria Steinem’s 90th birthday party.  Apparently Julie Taymor made a documentary or something on her. 

[James885]

Posted: 1/29/26 at 6:34pm

Yeah Spider-Man was bad, but I still think her version was a lot more interesting and inventive than the version that eventually opened - warts and all. I also loved her take on Midsummer Night’s Dream.

Regardless of what she chooses to do next, she’s had the kind of enviable career that most directors can only dream of.

Updated On: 1/29/26 at 06:34 PM

[Timon3]

Posted: 1/29/26 at 7:04pm

Do we know what share the creative get? And how far it goes down the food chain?

[Ensemble1698878795]

Posted: 1/29/26 at 7:21pm

Timon3 said: "Do we know what share the creative get? And how far it goes down the food chain?"

I believe she also designed some of the puppets. She's piling in 5 digits at minimum per week - maybe six with the international companies. 

[TotallyEffed]

Posted: 1/29/26 at 8:34pm

She is fabulously rich.

[PridelandsNYC]

Posted: 1/29/26 at 9:00pm

On IBDB she is credited as Director, Costume Designer, Mask Designer, and Co-Puppet Designer, plus Additional Lyrics and Additional Music so she is paid a royalty for each of those roles on every production. And I'm sure she also gets a cut of merchandise sales since it's based on her designs. I think at one time there were 9 or 10 companies running worldwide. That's an INSANE amount of royalty income.

[BrodyFosse123]

Posted: 1/29/26 at 9:01pm

Merkin2 said: "I saw her at the ford foundation a couple years ago for Gloria Steinem’s 90th birthday party. Apparently Julie Taymor made a documentary or something on her."

 

[BrodyFosse123]

Posted: 1/29/26 at 9:01pm

She’s currently working on THE GRAND DELUSION, an upcoming musical project with composer Elliot Goldenthal. It is an adaptation of Thomas Mann’s novella THE TRANSPOSED HEADS. The production has undergone workshops, including a notable session in May 2024. 

[Hey, Zelda!]

Posted: 1/29/26 at 10:08pm

BrodyFosse123 said: "She’s currently working on THE GRAND DELUSION,an upcoming musical project with composer Elliot Goldenthal. It isan adaptation of Thomas Mann’s novella THE TRANSPOSED HEADS. The production has undergone workshops, including a notable session in May 2024."

Not her first go-around with the property.

[binau]

Posted: 1/30/26 at 1:10am

I only saw spider man 2.0 not 1.0 but I can absolutely believe Julie T’s might have been more interesting. 2.0 was surprisingly sanitised and boring. 

[CoffeeBreak]

Posted: 1/30/26 at 11:58am

Julie sacrificed her soul for transport to her niece Danya Taymor's career as a nepo baby director

Updated On: 1/30/26 at 11:58 AM

[KJisgroovy]

Posted: 1/30/26 at 12:04pm

In an industry dominated by Nepo Babies... I'd really love if most of them had the talent that Danya Taymor does. 

[CoffeeBreak]

Posted: 1/30/26 at 12:15pm

eh.  mid.

[Merkin2]

Posted: 1/30/26 at 1:10pm

I’m appalled that the outsiders won best musical and director over the ace that was Suffs. Last year, I was appalled Audra lost.  This year, the queen of Versailles must win best musical and leading actress, and it will. 

[Call_me_jorge]

Posted: 1/30/26 at 2:39pm

Merkin2 said: "I’m appalled that the outsiders won best musical and director over the ace that was Suffs. Last year, I was appalled Audra lost. This year, the queen of Versailles must win best musical and leading actress, and it will."

She's escaped again, your honor!

[KJisgroovy]

Posted: 1/30/26 at 2:49pm

I thought The Outsiders was a pretty middle of the road, sometimes silly, musical that was elevated by it's creative and iconic direction and design. Her production created real stakes that I don't think subsequent productions will be able to reach with just the material. I also thought she was able to craft a real sense of structure out of Pass Over which on the page reads pretty directionless to me. I realize that's partially the point of Pass Over, but I think Taymor's production (at least here in Chicago), through pacing and emphasis, gave the text a spine it didn't otherwise have. She also did some great work at regional theaters here in Chicago.

I loved Suffs but thought it was sort of sunk but its direction and design. I think future productions of Suffs will probably find greater success. 

[everythingtaboo]

Posted: 1/30/26 at 6:08pm

She's fine. She sends her love.

[TotallyEffed]

Posted: 1/30/26 at 6:11pm

Call_me_jorge said: "Merkin2 said: "I’m appalled that the outsiders won best musical and director over the ace that was Suffs. Last year, I was appalled Audra lost. This year, the queen of Versailles must win best musical and leading actress, and it will."

She's escaped again, your honor!"

 


Hey, that’s my line! 😂 

Merkin is the best alias yet. He really is just fake pubic hair.

[Kad]

Posted: 1/30/26 at 6:20pm

Taymor seems like the sort of figure who will receive a big re-examination sometime in the not distant future and be newly re-appreciated.