'Spider-Man' ex-director, producers settle lawsuit

The original director of a lavish Broadway production of "Spider-Man," who was fired following a series of mishaps, has settled a lawsuit against the producers, a federal court in New York said Thursday. Julie Taymor and the producers of "Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark" "have reached an agreement in principle," Judge Katherine Forrest said in court papers. No details were disclosed of the deal, which ended the dispute between the Tony Award-winning director and the producers of the show, estimated to have cost some $75 million. Taymor was forced out of her job in March 2011 after the show, which features music by Bono and The Edge, saw a string of accidents, repeated delays to opening night and mocking reviews. Taymor sued her former colleagues for copyright infringement, saying the ultimately successful show was partly based on her work. Among the embarrassments in the musical's early days was a horrific injury to a stunt man and the departure of a lead actress.