By Karen Freifeld
NEW YORK, Jan 23 (Reuters) - The producers of "Spider-Man:
Turn Off The Dark" and Julie Taymor, the musical's ousted
director, are once again ready to settle their long-running
court case, a court filing showed on Wednesday.
"We anticipate notifying the Court within the next week that
a final settlement agreement has been executed," attorney
Charles T. Spada, who represents Taymor, wrote in a Jan. 22
letter to U.S. District Judge Katherine Forrest in Manhattan.
The letter comes less than two weeks after the parties
resumed litigation after failing to reach a final settlement of
Taymor's copyright infringement lawsuit, court records show.
The latest development comes five months after Taymor had
reached a settlement in principle with 8 Legged Productions, the
producer, in the copyright infringement case
"Spider-Man," which became a hit, got off to a disastrous
start in 2010 with opening night delays, injured actors and the
firing of Taymor, who won a Tony Award for her work on "The Lion
King." She sued 8 Legged Productions in November 2011.
Any settlement is conditioned on 8 Legged Productions coming
to terms with Marvel Entertainment, a unit of Walt Disney
Co, to extend its license to produce the musical in other
venues, Spada wrote in a Dec. 19 letter to the judge.
In Wednesday's letter, Spada said an agreement between the
producer and Marvel to amend the license is likely within days.
Taymor and 8 Legged Productions intend to execute their
agreement at the same time, the letter said.
"We are moving closer to finalizing the settlement," Dale
Cendali, a lawyer for 8 Legged Productions, said in an email.
A spokesperson for Marvel didn't immediately respond to
requests for comment.
The case is Julie Taymor et al v. 8 Legged Productions et
al, U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York,
No. 11-cv-8002.
For Julie Taymor: Charles T. Spada of Lankler, Siffert and
Wohl.
For 8 Legged Productions: Dale Cendali of Kirkland and
Ellis.
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