Sony’s Columbia Studios appears close to inking a deal with Tobey Maguire to return as Peter Parker in Spider-Man 4 under the direction of director Sam Raimi, who helped Sony and Marvel establish the film franchise with hits in 2002, 2004, and 2007.

Columnist Nicky Finke reports on her Deadline Hollywood Daily blog that it’s already a done deal and that screenwriter Jamie Vanderbilt (Zodiac) will handle the script. She also said that Kirsten Dunst, who has played Mary Jane Watson, is not a lock to return.

The Hollywood Reporter and other sources have also indicated the deal is real, and there is speculation that the studio will film Spider-Man 4 and Spider-Man 5 back-to-back.

The Spider-Man films have earned more than $1 billion in U.S. domestic box office alone. There had been intense speculation whether there would even be another Spider-Man movie until Sony committed to Marvel on it recently. Debate then turned to who might portray Peter Parker if Maguire did not return. The studio was even talking about spinning off Venom, one of the villians featured in Spider-Man 3, into its own film, perhaps in lieu of the next Spidey picture.

The Venom movie is reportedly still on despite the return of Maguire as Spider-Man.