The 2023 Black List, an initiative that shines a spotlight on the best of Hollywood's unproduced screenplays, is out (see the full list here), and it includes one title that will be especially interesting to Playbill's readers: Boy Falls From Sky by Hunter Toro. The screenplay reportedly follows an "anxious playwright" writing Broadway's ill-fated Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark while dealing with all of the musical's much publicized off- (and on!) stage drama. The screenplay's inclusion in the list does not necessarily indicate that it will become a finished film, though the Black List has led to at least 440 scripts produced from past lists.
The 2011 musical, which featured a score by Bono and The Edge and a book ultimately credited to director Julie Taymor, Glen Berger, and Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa, was famously plagued with trouble throughout its development process, from its original producer dying suddenly moments before Bono and The Edge officially signed on to the project to a historically long preview period marred by technical problems and onstage mishaps, some of which resulted in serious injuries. The project was initially planned by Tony-winning director Julie Taymor to be the splashiest spectacle Broadway had ever seen, with extravagant sets and action sequences that sent actors flying around the Lyric Theatre. And that came with a historic price tag, a reported $70 million.
READ: George Santos Claims He Produced Broadway's Spider-Man Musical. He Didn't.
The musical's many technical troubles made it the rare Broadway show to break into the national consciousness, becoming a frequent target for jokes from late-night shows. Getting to opening night ultimately involved closing the show for almost a month while extensive revisions were made, which included several deleted characters, dramatically altered plot points, and a new book writer and director. But open it did, June 14, 2011. Despite much mockery in the press, the show ran for two-and-a-half years, closing in January 2014. Unfortunately, the reportedly exorbitant weekly running costs meant that the endeavor still lost much of its initial investment, and the work hasn't been seen since.
Original book writer Glen Berger released his version of the experience with a 2013 book titled Song of Spider-Man: The Inside Story of the Most Controversial Musical in Broadway History. It's unclear if Boy Falls From Sky is officially adapted from Berger's novel.
