The physical injuries appear to have abated for the problem-plagued musical "Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark." Now it's time for the lawsuits.
Julie Taymor, former director of the production, filed suit against the musical's producers in federal court in New York on Tuesday, claiming that she hasn't been compensated for her work on the play, the Associated Press reports.
Also read: Julie Taymor to "Spider-Man" Producers: Pay Up!
According to Taymor's attorney, Charles Spada, the lawsuit was filed as a last resort. In a statement, Spada said that "the producers' actions have left [Taymor] no choice but to resort to legal recourse to protect her rights."
Taymor was forced to leave the production in March, after a series of injuries and other mishaps continued to push the play's production back. "The Boy From Oz" director Philip William McKinley was brought in to assume helming duties for the production, which eventually opened at the Foxwoods Theater in June.
Also read: Julie Taymor Out as Director of Broadway "Spider-Man"
Despite its initial problems, the musical has done robust business since then, typically raking in more than $1.2 million per week. And Spada says that it's high time that Taymor — who served as the musical's director and co-book writer — is paid for her work.
"Producers have failed to compensate Ms. Taymor for their continued use of her work to date, despite the fact that the show has consistently played to capacity or near-capacity houses since its first public performance in November 2010," Spada said.
In June, the Stage Directors and Choreographers Society — the union that represents Taymor — filed a claim on Taymor's behalf, claiming that the "Spider-Man" producers owe the director approximately $300,000.
"We intend to get Julie paid for the work that she has done and for the ongoing use of her directorial work," Laura Penn, the union's executive director, told TheWrap at the time.
In a statement provided to TheWrap, the show's lead producers, Michael Cohl & Jeremiah J. Harris, said that they had "repeatedly tried to resolve these issues. The production has indeed compensated Ms. Taymor for her contribution as a co-book writer."
The statement adds, "Fortunately the court system will provide, once and for all, an opportunity to resolve this dispute. We look forward to a resolution in which everyone is properly compensated for their contribution to 'Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark.'"