Theatre mogul Andrew Lloyd Webber is set to sue the promoter behind the failed North American revival of Jesus Christ Superstar to recover his costs.

Poor ticket sales prompted Michael Cohl to scrap the new production in May (14) as cast members John Lydon, Michelle Williams, Brandon Boyd and J.C. Chasez were in rehearsals for the 51-date tour.

Now Webber and his partners at the Really Useful Group have announced plans to launch a lawsuit against Cohl in a bid to recover the production costs for the project, which was due to hit the stage two weeks after the abrupt cancellation.

Lloyd Webber's spokesperson says, "(Rug) is taking legal action against Michael Cohl’s Options Clause Entertainment following his cancellation of the 2014 North American Tour of Jesus Christ Superstar.

"The Really Useful Group (Rug) has no option but to proceed with legal action to recover its costs associated with the project and, in turn, satisfy outstanding payments to suppliers and contractors."

Cohl has yet to respond to the lawsuit news.