'Spider-Man 4' caught in villainous web of script delays

Damn you, "Spider-Man" villains and your interfering ways.

The fourth installment of the Marvel hero franchise was supposed to start production in spring, but that's been delayed due to an epic fight between Sony and director Sam Raimi about which criminal our webslinging hero should battle next, according to The Hollywood Reporter.

Raimi, who fought to have the Vulture join Sandman in "Spider-Man 3" and lost, wants to go big on the Vulture this time around, whereas the studio would like to mix up Spider-Man's (Tobey Maguire) love life with a romance with a burglar known as the Black Cat and add another villain to be determined.

The road to "Spider-Man 4" has been fraught with peril and script rewrites, trying to meld the two visions. So far, James Vanderbilt, David Lindsay-Abaire, Gary Ross and Alvin Sargent have taken a shot at the story.

It's a tad premature to worry, but the production delays may possibliy affect the scheduled release date, May 11, 2011.

Whose vision would you like to see on the big screen? Any villains you'd prefer?

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Photo credit: Sony