EVAN RACHEL WOOD - ACROSS THE UNIVERSE STARS TO FRONT SPIDER-MAN MUSICAL?

ACROSS THE UNIVERSE stars EVAN RACHEL WOOD and JIM STURGESS are the front-runners to play the leads in director JULIE TAYMOR and rocker BONO's upcoming SPIDER-MAN stage musical. Taymor has revealed she staged "a workshop reading" with her stars after wrapping acclaimed Beatles musical movie Across The Universe and now she has her heart set on turning the screen pair into a stage duo. She wants Sturgess to play the comic book webslinger and Wood his girlfriend Mary Jane Watson. Taymor tells PlanetGossip.Eonline.com, "I would love for them to do it... but it's all about timing. Jim is new to the movie thing, and he has, like, four movies coming out." And, if a project doesn't work out, Taymor wants to reunite the couple in an Across The Universe sequel - with more Fab Four music. She adds, "I only used, like, 33 songs. I think there's about 200, so there's so much more I can do and work with."