From "Spider-Man 4" to "Venom," Gary Ross is all over it

And why not?

Gary Ross, who currently is penning "Spider-Man 4," is now in negotiations to also write the upcoming "Venom" movie.

From Variety:

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

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.

A defender of the innocent? I like my Venom bad, but the masses need someone to root for, so turning him into an antihero is a way around that. But will it work?

Looks as if we'll have a chance to see.