Spider-Man has conquered nearly every form of media that exists, from comic books to novels to film to television. So it makes sense that renowned director Julie Taymor, who brought The Lion King to the stage would take up the challenge of creating Spider-Man the musical. In an interview with The Daily Mail, Taymor reveals her pick for the title role.

Taymor would like to see British thespian Jim Sturgess take on the dual role of Spider-Man/Peter Parker. She would also choose Evan Rachel Wood to take the role of Mary Jane Watson. The roles were played by Toby Maguire and Kirsten Dunst, respectively, in Sam Raimi's Spider-Man films.

"There, I've said it. Now I have to go through a web to get them," Ms Taymor said "Jim's certainly interested, but his film career has taken off, so I have to nab him between movies. Same with Evan. They'd be my ideal pairing, though, if they're free."

The award-winning director, who has moved back and forth between stage and film, worked with both Sturgess and Wood in her film Across the Universe. In the film, both actors sang takes on classic Beatles songs, giving Taymor the opportunity to judge their voices.

Spider-Man: The Musical, as Taymor describes it will be an extravagant experience, including puppetry, trapeze artists and outstanding costumes - traits Taymor is known for. "I hope it will be a cross between a play, rock 'n' roll and circus. The movies with Tobey Maguire worked on their terms, but the show will be very different. In fact, it's based more on the original comic books than the movies. This notion that you can transplant movies onto the stage is absurd - a theatre show has to live in its own world," Taymor explains.

Bono and the Edge from U2 have been working on the score and lyrics for the show. Although no date has been set, expect Spider-Man: The Musical to arrive on either Broadway or London's West End in either late 2008 or early 2009.