Raimi Eager to Direct Spider-Man 4

Director Sam Raimi told MTV News this week that he’s “eager” to return to the director’s chair to helm a fourth “Spider-Man” feature.

“I’m really excited about Spider-Man, and I’m hoping to direct it,” he told MTV News. “I don’t have a script yet, but production would start probably by March of 2010, I’m guessing.”

Some fans may not be happy with Raimi’s reason for wanting to wait over a year to begin production.  Raimi said he hopes to get Kirsten Dundst back for the fourth installment as Mary Jane Watson.

“I hope she’ll be written into it,” he said. “I couldn’t imagine making one without her, and I think she’s an important part of the movies.”

Last we heard, the scripts for a fourth and fifth installment of the web-slinging adventures of Spidey were in the works.   According to reports, the films were closely linked and Columbia Pictures wanted to shoot the movies back-to-back ala “The Lord of the Rings.”

“That had been talked about,” he said, deferring to the head of his studio. “It’s Amy Pascal’s decision. I don’t think it has been decided yet, and she’s the one that’s really going to make that decision; I’m really curious myself.”

“It would be a real endurance test, probably only Peter Jackson knows how hard something like that would be,” he continued. “If Tobey and me, and all the producers, like the story for two pictures and Amy wanted to do it, then we would do it. It just hasn’t been written yet.”

As for who the villain in Spider-Man 4 might be, Raimi is reported to have discussed the possibility of the Lizard being Spidey’s nemesis for the next installment.