If these talks go as planned then I think we have seen the last Sam Raimi directed Spider-Man movie, something as both a Raimi fan and a Spidey fan is something I hoped would happen.

At the very least, Raimi won’t be able to do Spider-Man 4.

Here’s the exciting news from Variety…

Paramount Pictures is in negotiations with Sam Raimi to spearhead a franchise revival of Jack Ryan, the Tom Clancy-created CIA analyst character who drove four hit movies for the studio.

Par will draft a scribe to write a Ryan movie that Raimi would shoot after he completes the Universal horror film “Drag Me to Hell.” Paramount wants the Ryan movie ready for release in summer 2010.

The idea is for Raimi to develop and direct a new trilogy of films for producer Lorenzo di Bonaventura which will feature a younger and more formative Jack Ryan. This revival is likely to be a franchise REBOOT and will probably be set in the modern world of terrorism (hang on… wasn’t the modern day reboot The Sum of All Fears?) and will probably be influenced by Matt Damon’s Bourne trilogy.

A younger Jack Ryan was rumored in January when Ryan Gosling’s was talked about to fill the big shoes of Harrison Ford, Alec Baldwin and yes Ben Affleck, who I thought made and would still make a good Jack Ryan.

Tom Clancy is said to be writing a new Ryan novel but Paramount have so far not contacted the author despite having first option on any book with the Ryan character, so it could be Paramount might go James Bond like with an original story of their own.

Superb news from where I stand. I enjoy all four of the previous Jack Ryan movies and I absolutely adore Raimi’s work as a director and I’ve been saying for a while now he most definitely needed a break from Spider-Man.

If Paramount want the first film out by 2010… there ain’t no way he could do Spidey 4. The biggest opening movie of all time is not a franchise Sony will sit on to wait for Raimi, especially after the reaction to his last film was only so-so… at best.

I’m so glad Raimi is taking on different projects again. Can’t wait to see how inventive he can be with a franchise such as this…