The much-anticipated Spider-Man musical has been hit with another major blow – the project’s star, Evan Rachel Wood, has quit.

The Broadway stageshow, titled Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark, has been hit with a series of problems and delays in the past six months – and now Wood has walked over a scheduling conflict, forcing producers to find a new Mary Jane.

Previews were expected to begin last month, but now the production is not expected to make its debut until the end of the summer.

A financial problem temporarily shut down production in August, just two months after Wood confirmed she’d be playing Spider-Man’s love interest in the Julie Taymor musical, which features music from U2′s Bono and The Edge.

Alan Cumming has been cast as the musical’s villain, the Green Goblin, while newcomer Reeve Carney will play the superhero’s alter-ego Peter Parker in the production.

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Broadway’s Spider-man musical Turn Off The Dark has been rescheduled following a string of production problems.

The producers of the spectacular, which will feature music penned by U2 stars The Edge and Bono, have announced a new start date at the Hilton Theatre.

Previews will no longer begin on 25 February. A revised schedule of preview performances, and an opening date will be confirmed in the coming weeks.

Producers insist the production will open this year.

Director Julie Taymor has pledged to stay with the production, as have show stars Evan Rachel Wood, Reeve Carney and Alan Cumming.

The news comes a day after Tobey Maguire and filmmaker Sam Raimi abandoned the third Spider-Man movie sequel.

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Little-known actor Reeve Carney has landed Broadway’s most-anticipated new role – as Spider-man.

The young star, who also fronts rockers Carney, has beaten thousands of hopefuls to land the role of Peter Parker and his superhero alter-ego in mega-budget musical Spider-Man: Turn Off The Dark.

He’ll join Evan Rachel Wood and Alan Cumming, who have already signed on for Julie Taymor’s ambitious project, which has been scored by U2 stars Bono and The Edge.

Carney’s biggest role to date came in 1999 film Snow Falling on Cedars, in which he played Ethan Hawke’s character Ishmael as a child.

Director Taymor asked the 26 year old to try out for Spider-Man after impressing her on the set of her new film The Tempest.

The Spider-Man musical will open at the Hilton Theatre in New York next spring. A set date for the run has yet to be announced.

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The beleaguered production of the Broadway musical “Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark” has reportedly been pushed back to next spring.

According to The New York Times, the later-than-expected start is indeed due to the widely reported production shutdown on the project and continuing efforts to recruit new investors to come onboard the multimillion-dollar project.

Earlier this month, reports emerged that the production of “Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark” was back on track thanks to two new investors, Jim Stern and Norton Herrick. However, Stern told MTV News that word of his involvement was premature at best.

“Yeah, I think that it would be good if people would actually talk to me before they write that sort of thing,” Stern said. “It’s not really—I mean, I don’t know. Whether I’m involved in it or not, I don’t have any idea yet.”

The Times report does indicate that lead producer David Garfinkle, co-writer Julie Taymor and U2’s Bono have at least been partially successful in lining up new investors—though no one has publicly come forward yet.

Currently, there is no date set for opening night, but the producers hope to be able to make an official announcement later in the fall.

“Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark” was originally set to open on February 18, 2010. Evan Rachel Wood and Alan Cumming—appearing as Mary Jane and the Green Goblin, respectively—are the only announced cast members to date.

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Less than a month ago, producers on “Spider-Man: Turn Off The Dark” confirmed to MTV News that production had suspended for the time being, but insisted that the show would go on for the planned February debut. But Bono and the Edge need not pack their instruments away just yet—Spidey’s making a comeback.

According to Variety, production on “Turn Off The Dark” could resume as early as this week or as late as next week.

No official comments have been made by the show’s producers, who suspended the musical due to “a cash-flow problem” in August, but Variety’s report cites rumors around the theater industry that “Spider-Man” will swing back into action shortly.

Still, “Turn off the Dark” hasn’t lit all the lights just yet. Variety notes that there are members of the show’s production who have not yet been called back to work following the initial postponement, indicating that not all of the cash has been secured to get “Spider-Man” into full swing again.

It’s unclear who these untapped production members are, but two of the most important players at the moment are Evan Rachel Wood and Alan Cumming, previously cast as Mary Jane Watson and Norman Osborn for the show. Hopefully both actors will return to the production soon if they haven’t already.

As for who saved “Spider-Man,” the obvious guess is the Walt Disney Company, who recently acquired Marvel Entertainment in a $4 billion deal. But the musically-minded entity is apparently not responsible for “Turn off the Dark’s” salvation, according to the report.
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Evan Rachel Wood has confirmed she is still planning to take the stage in the upcoming Spider-man musical – dismissing rumours she quit the production after it was stalled by financial problems.

Broadway bosses last week blasted claims the superhero spectacular has been scrapped altogether, amid rumours several cast members had backed out of their contracts.

Wood was alleged to have pulled out of the project and urged her agents to win back a number of film roles she turned down to star in the live show.

But a representative for the actress insists she is “100 per cent committed – she didn’t pull out.”

And, according to the New York Daily News, the struggling musical has been given another boost after producers finally cast a relatively unknown actor as the superhero himself.

Newcomer Reeve Carney will be suiting up to belt out the production’s songs, composed by U2′s The Edge and Bono.

Scottish actor Alan Cumming will star as the villainous Green Goblin.

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