James Vanderbilt to Write 'Spider-Man 5 and 6'

Just as Sony is ready to launch "Spider-Man 4" (set for a 2011 release) with Sam Raimi, Tobey Maguire, and Kirsten Dunst all on-board once again, they've hired a writer to start work on Spider-Man 5 and 6, according to Variety. James Vanderbilt, of "The Losers" and "Zodiac," will write an over-arching storyline that will extend from the fifth movie into the sixth - which might mean both films could even be shot back-to-back.

Vanderbilt isn't new to the Spider-Man universe, as he wrote the first draft of "Spider-Man 4." Many of his original ideas will be seen on-screen come 2011; Raimi and Vanderbilt failed to see eye-to-eye, so David Lindsay-Abaire was brought on to rewrite Vanderbilt, which then led to Gary Ross, who is rewriting the whole thing yet again. In fact, this interconnected storyline was supposed to be a part of "Spider-Man 4 and 5," but that idea was scrapped as shooting back-to-back was apparently out of the question.

Should Raimi, Maguire and Dunst call it quits after "Spider-Man 4," Vanderbilt's script is being eyeballed as a franchise reboot. The interwoven plot between fifth and sixth installments could help make the transition of creative teams and actors a bit more palatable, but how wise is it to enact a full cast change-up so quickly after "Spider-Man 4" hits theaters?

Still, it's an option that Sony needs to consider given Raimi's own obligations. The director has signed on to helm a "World of Warcraft" movie based on the popular computer game, which is likely to spawn an entirely new franchise for the filmmaker. Assuming its success, Raimi's future with "Spider-Man" is uncertain at best.

More news to come! Catch ya' later!
Sources: MTV News, First Showing