HOLLYWOOD - Spider-Man is returning for a fourth installment of the superhero franchise, but without director Sam Raimi in the director's chair.

Raimi directed the first three movies and wrote 2007's Spider-Man 3--but the filmmaker is stepping back to let someone else create their own vision for the web-slinging adventure.

He tells MTV.com, "Right now, a writer is being sought to write the next installment. We're in the very early stages. I won't be working on the story. It'll be a brand new writer coming in with a brand new story--a fresh take on the Spider-Man series.

"We're hearing different versions right now and really enjoying the different stories. Hopefully, we'll hear one that sounds right for the fourth installment."

When asked if would produce the movie, rather than direct, Raimi replies, "Yes, that's right. In this case, it's more in the writer's hands. I'm going to let the writer envision where Peter Parker would go to next."

http://www.hollywood.com/news/Spider_Man_to_Return_for_a_Different_Fourth_Film/4948616