Bono & The Edge Talk ‘Spider-Man’ Musical’: ‘A Guy Singing In Tights Can’t Happen’

Tags:

Spider-Man,Bono,Broadway,Trailers,U2,Music,Celebrities
 
 
enlarge
  • Bono and The Edge of U2 attend The Nelson Mandela Foundation’s ‘46664 Give One minute to Aids’ Concert at The Greenpoint Stadium on November 29, 2003 in Cape Town
  • U2’s Bono and The Edge at the at Kodak Theatre in LA to honor B.B. King

1/2

  • Getty Premium

    Bono and The Edge of U2 attend The Nelson Mandela Foundation’s ‘46664 Give One minute to Aids’ Concert at The Greenpoint Stadium on November 29, 2003 in Cape Town
  • Getty Images

    U2’s Bono and The Edge at the at Kodak Theatre in LA to honor B.B. King
 
 

FIRST PUBLISHED: August 19, 2009 8:49 PM EDT
LAST UPDATED: August 19, 2009 9:04 PM EDT

LONDON, England, U.K. --

U2’s Bono and The Edge have revealed they are bringing a new bad girl to their Broadway production of “Spider-Man” when it opens next year.

“We’ve got a new villain, it’s a girl,” Bono told BBC Radio 1 in a new interview. “It’s a very extraordinary role. We’ve taken it to a much more dizzy place than you’d expect.”

The Irish singer and his guitar-playing bandmate wrote the music and lyrics for “Spider-Man: Turn Off The Dark,” which is slated to start previews on Broadway in New York City in February 2010.

“We’ve got big tunes,” Bono said of the music they’ve written. “We’re very proud of it.”

The musical follows the story of a teenage Peter Parker, who turns into Spider-Man after being bitten by a radioactive arachnid. The actor set to play Peter has not been announced, but Bono said he will be a different kind of hero than audiences expect.

“Our Peter Parker is much more… not Kurt Cobain, but a kind of slacker, a more kind of shy sort of guy,” the singer said.

Scottish actor Alan Cumming will star as Norman Osborn and his alter-ego, the Green Goblin, while Evan Rachel Wood will play Peter’s neighborhood love interest, Mary Jane Watson.

“She’s the greatest actor of her generation, she’s the one to watch,” Bono said of the former “Wrestler” star. “She happens to sing like a bird, it’s like a true voice. 

“She’s a very pure spirit and a very bright mind and she brings the part of MJ to life, really,” he added.

The Edge has described the production as “more like an opera than a straight musical,” but don’t expect the web-slinger himself to perform any of the numbers.

“We made one rule for ourselves though that we would never have Spider-Man singing. A guy singing in tights can’t happen,” the guitarist said.

Copyright 2009 by NBC Universal, Inc. All rights reserved.
This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Keep your Access to everything in Hollywood! Breaking news and personal commentary from Nancy, Billy, Tony, Shaun, Maria & all of our producers! Follow us on and now!

 
 
 
 
 
 
 

What Do You Think?

How many times will you see ‘New Moon?’

  • Kristen Stewart and Robert Pattinson in ‘New Moon’
     
  • Robert Pattinson and Kristen Stewart chat during the presentation of their new film ‘The Twighlight Saga: New Moon’ during the HVB youth event at the Olympic Hall on November 14, 2009 in Munich, Germany
     
  • Taylor Lautner and Robert Pattinson arrive at the afterparty for the premiere ‘The Twilight Saga: New Moon’ at the Hammer Museum on November 16, 2009 in Los Angeles, California
     
  • Robert Pattinson runs his fingers through his hair as he hits ‘The Twilight Saga: New Moon’ premiere red carpet, LA, Nov. 16, 2009
     
  • Michael Sheen in Summit’s ‘New Moon’
     
  • Alex Meraz, Kiowa Gordon, and Chaske Spence as werewolves in ‘New Moon’
     
voteview results & comments