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No final settlement yet over Broadway's "Spider-Man"
US-SPIDERMAN-LAWSUIT:No final settlement yet over Broadway's "Spider-Man"
By Bernard Vaughan and Nate Raymond
NEW YORK (Reuters) - Producers of "Spider-Man: Turn Off The Dark" have for now resumed litigation with the Broadway musical's ousted director Julie Taymor after failing to reach a final settlement of their litigation, court records show.
The development comes five months after Taymor reached a settlement in principle with 8 Legged Productions, the producer, in her copyright infringement case.
The "parties' efforts to finalize a settlement have not yet been successful," Charles Spada, a lawyer for Taymor, wrote in a January 9 letter to U.S. District Judge Katherine Forrest in Manhattan. But he said both sides were "hopeful that a final settlement can be reached within the next few days."
The letter was made public on Thursday, and a trial is scheduled to begin on May 27.
The musical got off to a rough start in 2010 that included opening night delays, poor early reviews, injuries to actors and the firing of Taymor, who had previously won a Tony Award for directing "The Lion King." She sued 8 Legged Productions in November 2011.
Any settlement is conditioned on 8 Legged Productions reaching a separate agreement with Marvel Entertainment, a unit of Walt Disney Co, to extend its license to produce the musical in other venues, Spada wrote in a December 19 letter to the judge, also made public on Thursday.
At that time, Marvel and 8 Legged Productions had been close to finalizing such an agreement, the letter said.
Dale Cendali, a lawyer for 8 Legged Productions, said settlement talks were continuing, and both sides hope to settle in the near future. She declined to say why a final settlement has not been reached.
Spada, Taymor's lawyer, in an email, confirmed the "parties are still working together to try and resolve the matter."
A spokesman for Marvel did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
(Reporting by Bernard Vaughan; Editing by Cynthia Johnston and Lisa Shumaker)
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