Producers of the beleaguered $65 million musical, “Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark,” appear to be losing faith in their director Julie Taymor, creator of the “Lion King,” and are looking to hire a co-director.
Sources said they have reached out to Phil McKinley, who is best known for directing Hugh Jackman to a Tony in “The Boy from Oz.”
No deal has been struck , but sources said Taymor is “exhausted” by all the trouble the show has had.
McKinley, by no means an A-List director on Broadway, has a background in the circus — as a director of the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus.
It may be an fitting move since Taymor has described the show, with U2’s Bono and The Edge composing the score, as a “circus, rock and roll drama.”
And there’s certainly been no shortage of drama with four cast members suffering injuries during the show’s high-flying stunts.
Chris Tierney , who was playing the title character during a preview performance in Dec ember , fell more than 20 feet into the orchestra pit.
He suffered a skull fracture, broken ribs, internal bleeding and three cracked vertebrae.
And lead actress Natalie Mendoza, who suffered a concussion in another mishap during previews, dropped out of the show after her injury.
In addition to McKinley, script doctor Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa was brought in this week to tweak the show’s book.