What is it with all the super hero and comic book movies these days? Is it that they just don’t understand audiences? Is is that they think they need to make it enjoyable only for a 12 year old? Don’t other people count? That’s the question I ask when I look at various movies that have come out recently and wonder when is Spider Man 4 is coming out? Well the answer to that question is May 5, 2011. The better question is, will it be a success like the first two movies or will it suffer from the same flaws as the third epic of the human spider?

Well, the good news is that Columbia Pictures has decided to go back to basics with this one. According to the Hollywood Reporter, they’re looking to hire Pulitzer prize winning playwright David Lindsay-Abaire. Readers may be familiar with him for having won the Pulitzer for writing Rabbit Hole.

Of course this will not be the first that a Pulitzer winner will be involved in the Spidey franchise. Michael Chabon, who won the Pulitzer for his lovely fictional epic, “The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay”, was also involved in writing Spider Man 2 (and we wish he would have taken part in the third installment, but we can’t have everything, can we?). What is happening with the various scripts floating around for the new Spidey film is anyone’s guess, but we do know that Sam and Ivan Raimi won’t be the ones writing the script this time. This is good news for anyone asking when is Spider Man 4 coming out, considering that we don’t want another epic flop.

Readers may be familiar with Lindsay-Abaire’s work from the animated 2005 film Robots. You may recall that it had mixed reviews – some people loved it, but others questioned if there really was a story there, so we can only hope that Lindsay-Abaire will not rely too heavily on Spidey webs swinging around the tall buildings of New York and will instead focus on a solid story.

No one knows yet what the plans are for the new movie’s story line will be for the new film, but rumors abound. One says that the story will revolve around Parker’s relationship with Curt Connors, who will of course become The Lizard. Others have their hopes pinned on Venom, but that is considered a long shot. The one thing we know for sure is the answer to the question “when is Spider Man 4 coming out?” And the answer is May, 2011. Stay tuned.