Newcomer Reeve Carney to Play Spider-Man in Broadway's Turn Off the Dark

SPIDER-MAN Turn Off the Dark, the upcoming musical with a score by U2’s Bono and The Edge based on the popular Marvel Comics character, has found its leading man. Rocker Reeve Carney will make his Broadway debut as Peter Parker, the young outcast who becomes The Amazing Spider-Man. New producers were also announced for the mega-musical, which is not fully financed but still expected to start performances sometime in 2010 at the Hilton Theatre.

Carney, 26, is the lead singer and guitarist of CARNEY, a rock band that is currently touring North America in support of their single, “Love Me Chase Me.” The band’s full album, Mr. Green, is scheduled for release in early 2010 on Interscope Records. As a child, Carney also recorded with Peter, Paul and Mary and Michael Jackson, who hired him to sing on one of the tracks on the album HIStory. As an actor, Carney will play young prince Ferdinand in Julie Taymor’s upcoming film adaptation of The Tempest (opposite SPIDER-MAN star Alan Cumming) and was also seen in the 1999 film Snow Falling on Cedars.

“Having recently finished shooting The Tempest with Reeve as the young prince, I am thrilled to cast him in an entirely different role as Peter Parker in SPIDER-MAN,” director Julie Taymor said in a statement. “When I first saw Reeve, he was performing with his terrific band Carney. The music of Bono and Edge requires an extraordinary talent— not only is Reeve a great rock and roll singer but his acting is equally fresh and authentic.”

Carney joins previously announced cast members Evan Rachel Wood as Mary Jane Watson, Peter Parker’s girlfriend and Cumming as Norman Osborn (aka Green Goblin).

Michael Cohl is now the lead producer on the musical, with Jeremiah J. Harris acting as second producer. The full producing team includes Michael Cohl, Jeremiah J. Harris, Hello Entertainment/David Garfinkle, Marvel Entertainment/David Maisel and Sony Pictures Entertainment.

The musical follows the story of teenager Peter Parker, whose unremarkable life is turned upside-down—literally—when he’s bitten by a genetically altered spider and wakes up the next morning clinging to his bedroom ceiling. This bullied science-geek—suddenly endowed with astonishing powers—soon learns, however, that with great power comes great responsibility as villains test not only his physical strength but also his strength of character.

No specific timeline was given for SPIDER-MAN Turn Off the Dark, which was previously announced to start previews on February 25, 2010.