"Spider-Man 4" was originally to begin production this month under director Sam Raimi and have Tobey Maguire and Kirsten Dunst back. But when script problems and a disagreement between Raimi and Sony/Columbia Pictures ensued, Raimi informed the studio yesterday that he would not be able to make the May 2011 release.

In a statement released yesterday - and originally reported by DeadlineHollywoodDaily (http://www.deadlinehollywooddaily.com) - Sony/Columbia announced that they will be seeking to pursue a new reboot of the franchise. A new "Spider-Man" reboot would pretty much be in the same realm as how "The Incredible Hulk" and "Punisher: War Zone" started anew from their predecessors.

Sony is now targeting a 2012 release for the new "Spider-Man" film. James Vanderbilt, who penned the original draft of "Spider-Man 4," will now rework the script for the new vision.