Julie Taymor Blasts Bono, The Edge Over 'Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark' Lawsuit

A week after Julie Taymor filed a lawsuit in NY claiming Spider-Man: Turn off the Dark infringed on her creative input, an interview with the Broadway director finds her calling out collaborators Bono and The Edge.our editor recommends'Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark' Producers Fire Back at Julie Taymor'Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark': Another Cast Member Injured Esquire reports Taymor blames the U2 duo, who referred to her "exhausted" and "overwrought," for false characterizations that led to her removal from the pricey musical, which she directed and co-wrote before an altered version officially debuted on Broadway. "There's no doubt by the end of February, when I felt all of this stuff happening, that I was exhausted by that, but not by the show and not by the inspiration that I was getting from the actors," she said of her March departure. "What was exhausting was the fact that the producers were absent... Those people weren't there, so how does Bono know? I'm sorry." ANALYSIS: Can Julie Taymor Shut Down 'Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark'? Taymor also attempts to clarify the circumstances of her dismissal, which she maintains came as a complete shock to her and had nothing to do with an ultimatum about altering the show. "This thing that I refused to do the big changes and so they let me go? No. There wasn't [an ultimatum]," Taymor said. "That was not something that was brought up to me. " Instead, Taymor poses that making her take the fall for the beleaguered production -- which included six delayed openings and five injured cast members during her tenure -- was the only way for the producers to distance Spider-Man from the bad press. STORY: Julie Taymor Sues 'Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark' for Infringing Her Creative Input "I think that those were important to paint a picture of a director who you needed to release in order to make this big change," she said. "I had to be characterized that way in order for something to happen." Taymor initially filed an arbitration claim against the show after her departure, claiming she was owed more than $500,000 in royalties. Of this new lawsuit, her attorney says, "Ms. Taymor regrets that the producers' actions have left her no choice but to resort to legal recourse to protect her rights." Related Topics Julie Taymor Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark Bono The Edge