Columbia orders 'Spider-Man 4' script

LOS ANGELES, Oct. 31 (UPI) -- A script for a fourth installment of the "Spider-Man" series has been ordered even though U.S. star Tobey Maguire and director Sam Raimi haven't been rehired.

"Zodiac" writer James Vanderbilt has been commissioned to write the "Spider-Man 4" screenplay for Columbia, the Hollywood Reporter said Wednesday.

David Koepp, who worked on the first two "Spider-Man" movies, returned to write a previous draft of "Spider-Man 4."

Although the plot for the latest entry in the billion-dollar franchise has been kept under wraps, the trade paper said the plan was to present an adventure that features only two villains, since "Spider-Man 3," which saw the webslinger battling three bad guys, was criticized for having too many story lines.