Already rewriting "Spider-Man 4" for Columbia Pictures, Gary Ross is making a deal to rewrite and to direct "Venom," a Spidey spinoff.

Marvel Entertainment, Avi Arad and Ross will produce.

Venom, an archenemy of the webslinger in the Marvel Comics series, will be transformed into an antihero who becomes a defender of the innocent.

In "Spider-Man 3," Venom was played by Topher Grace, who started out as Eddie Brock, Peter Parker's newspaper rival. Infected by an alien organism that grafted itself to his skin, Brock had superpowers and strength superior to Spider-Man's.

Grace, who just signed on to star in "Robert Rodriguez's Predators" at Fox, is not considered likely to reprise, as the spinoff will start from the drawing board.

Even though Marvel Entertainment was just acquired by Disney in a $4 billion deal, Columbia Pictures is able to turn Venom loose in a film because the studio holds rights in perpetuity not only to Spider-Man but to the villains in his universe.

Col is moving aggressively to make more installments of "Spider-Man," the studio's most financially valuable franchise. While Sam Raimi is prepping for a 2010 production start on "Spider-Man 4," writer Jamie Vanderbilt is currently scripting the fifth and sixth installments, films which could possibly amount to a reboot with new creative elements.

Ross, who is rewriting a "Spider-Man 4" script originated by Vanderbilt and David Lindsay-Abaire, is also working with Columbia on rewriting to direct the film about cyclist Lance Armstrong's recovery from life-threatening testicular cancer to win a record-breaking seven Tour de France titles.

Before found footage superhero thriller Chronicle even touched down in cinemas, there were rumblings that director Josh Trank might be in the frame to tackle 20th Century Fox’s Fantastic Four reboot. But in a twist worthy of a four-colour comic book page, he is now negotiating to take on an iconic Marvel title, but not at Fox and not the Foursome. He’s been targeted for Venom.

According to the LA Times, Sony has swooped in and begun talks with Trank to take on the nasty, oozing, lizard-like alien symbiotic creature who last (dis)graced screens in 2007’s Spider-Man 3. Back then, it wasn’t exactly Sam Raimi’s favourite character, and got shoved to the sidelines in an overstuffed film with Topher Grace as the unfortunate bloke who becomes infected.

Ever since, the studio has been looking for a way to focus on the freaky, drooling one, who has a hefty fan following, even if most have concerns about whether it can carry an entire film. Jacob Estes wrote the first draft before Zombieland’s Paul Wernick and Rhett Reese were called into re-write that. Then Hunger Games writer/director Gary Ross took a stab at the idea in 2009, pitching Mr Venom as more of an antihero who defends the innocent. That didn’t seem to spark much love, and now we’re back to square one with Sony searching for a new writer.

Right now, it's still hovering in the rumour zone, but if Trank does sign on, there’s a chance he might try to recruit Chronicle co-writer and pal Max Landis, as the pair worked well together last time...

I was talking about Topher Grace when I saw the movie with my cousin. I never read the Spiderman comics, but my cousin did. He Told me Brock was skinny, eventually, after getting the symbiote thing. He started taking steroids and jacking up. (not off, lol) Ima see for myself if it's true or not. I think he did an alright job in the movie though. Thats just my opinion, and I'm the type that's never satisfied when it comes to movies. Wasting money! lol

I dont like the idea of a venom movie either, it does sound "sucky". If anything, the next Spiderman should have Carnage.