Sam Raimi has told MTV.com that he will not be directing the next film in the “Spider-Man” franchise. He did, however, say he will be producing, which means the director will not be completely separated from the project. This sounds like a win-win situation to me. Raimi made it quite clear that he was tired of living and breathing the “Spider-Man” trilogy when “Spider-Man 3″ came out this past summer, but continuing to be involved means that some fresh life can be injected into the series without losing the familiar stamp of his involvement. They’re apparently still developing the story and shopping screenwriters, so no word yet if Tobey Maguire or Kirsten Dunst will be reprising their roles, but with the “Hulk” and “Punisher” films being revamped and “Spider-Man 3″ getting less-enthusiastic reviews than its predecessors, would it be a surprise to see a complete overhaul for “Spider-Man 4?”
