MUMBAI: Even as Spider-Man 3 gears up to swing into theatres on 4 May, 2007, auditions have commenced for Spider-Man to be turned into a Broadway musical.

A summer reading is already scheduled for the same, according to www.Hollywood.tv founder Sheeraz Hasan.

Marvel Studios has already tapped two-time Tony winner Julie Taymor as director for the musical, while the music and lyrics will be provided by U2’s Bono and the Edge. Hello Entertainment/David Garfinkle, Martin McCallum, Marvel Entertainment and Sony Pictures Entertainment are the producers, according to Hasan.

Additionally, the project’s financing will be handled by Hello Entertainment. No dates for a Broadway opening have been scheduled.

A Spider-Man musical is the first time a Marvel character has been at the center of a Broadway show, although the character was featured in “It’s a Bird, It’s a Plane, It’s Superman,” at the Alvin Theatre in 1966. The show received positive reviews but closed after playing only a few months.