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BBC NEWS: U2 write for Spider-Man musical

Bono and The Edge from U2 are to write music and lyrics for a Broadway musical based on comic book hero Spider-Man, according to film trade paper Variety.

The show will be directed by Julie Taymor, who won two Tony awards for Disney's Lion King musical in 1998.

Auditions are taking place for key characters, including Peter Parker and love interest Mary Jane Watson, but no date has been set for the show's debut.

The third chapter in the blockbuster Spider-Man film series opens in May.

This will be the first time a Marvel comic book hero has officially made the transition to the Broadway stage.

Previous stage credits

"We've been analysing and looking at the Broadway market for some time, given the success of the big musicals lately," chairman of Marvel Studios, David Maisel, told Variety.

Bono and The Edge have written for the stage before, composing songs for a Royal Shakespeare Company production of A Clockwork Orange in the 1990s.

With U2, they also wrote the theme song for 1995's Batman Forever film - Hold Me, Thrill Me, Kiss Me, Kill Me.

Spider-Man has been one of the most successful superhero films of recent years.

Starring Tobey Maguire and Kirsten Dunst, the first two instalments took more than $1.6bn (£800m) at the global box office.

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I'd joke about an "X-men" musical (Hugh Jackman's on Broadway already), but someone might be listening. I can't image that there's much overlap between comic fans and musical theatergoers, but I guess we'll find out.