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Already spinning a web with a rewrite of “Spider-Man 4” for Columbia Pictures, Gary Ross will follow by taking over the Spidey spinoff "Venom." Ross will rewrite to direct the picture.

Marvel Entertainment, Avi Arad and Ross will produce.

The Venom, an arch enemy of the web-slinger in the Marvel Comics series, will be transformed into an anti-hero who becomes a defender of the innocent.

In “Spider-Man 3,” Venom was a reporter rival to Peter Parker, who became infected by an alien organism that grafted itself to his skin, giving him superior superpowers and a generally pissed off attitude. .

Topher Grace--who just signed on to star in “Robert Rodriguez’s Predators” at Fox--played the villain and his human alter ego--Eddie Brock- but he is not considered a shoo-in 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 the villains in his universe. Col has been developing “Venom” picture for some time, most recently getting a draft from “Zombieland” scribe Rhett Reese and Paul Wernick.

Venom becomes the first Spidey character to be given its own film by the studio Fox has the same latitude with several Marvel characters it has used in movies, and scored a big hit with the spinoff "X-Men Origins: Wolverine." That studio is also working on "Silver Surfer," a character which appeared in Fox's "Fantastic Four" sequel.

Columbia Pictures is moving aggressively to diversify with “Spider-Man,” the studio’s most financially valuable franchise. As director Sam Raimi preps 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 re-boot 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. "Venom" steps in front of that project.