It's curtains for 'Spider-Man' musical director

Producers of the $65m (£40m) Broadway musical Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark have delayed its official opening again and hired a new team to relieve director Julie Taymor of day-to-day duties.

The show, which is the most expensive in Broadway history, was created by The Lion King visionary Taymor with music written by U2's Bono and The Edge. Its debut already has been postponed five times after it suffered cost overruns and actors were injured during preview performances.

Producers Michael Cohl and Jeremiah J Harris said in a statement that the production's opening would be rescheduled from 15 March "to an evening in the early summer, 2011".

The departure of Taymor is a setback for the director, who was behind the spectacular reinterpretation of Disney's hit The Lion King. Her imaginative flair has not translated as easily to the big screen, where her Beatle-themed romance Across the Universe and The Tempest have failed to ignite box offices.