...Does Whatever a Writer Can

For those who felt like they were caught in a web of confusion by the third Spider-Man film -- can you say "too many villains" and "busy but boring"? -- there's hope that the writer chosen for the next one will mend broken hearts (i.e. keep the franchise alive).

David Lindsay-Abaire, who was awarded the Pulitzer Prize in 2007 for his play Rabbit Hole, has been tapped to write Spider-Man Four for Columbia.

Rabbit Hole, which came to Broadway in 2006, starred Sex and the City's Cynthia Nixon and Cagney and Lacey's Tyne Daly, and won four Tonys including Best Play.

According to Lindsay-Abaire, his plays are often "peopled with outsiders in search of clarity," which makes him the perfect writer to tackle the trials and tribulations of the isolated Peter Parker.

However, some have expressed some concern about a superhero film being written by someone with no background in the genre.

"Sure, you need a good writer for such an important story," said one comic book executive. "But to do justice to Spider-Man, I think it needs to be in your blood.

"I have to admit, though, it will be fun for creator Stan Lee to say something Pulitzer-y in his cameo."