With the release of an IMAX release date announcement from Sony, we now know when to expect Spider-Man 4 to hit theaters.

Being released in both standard and IMAX formats (but thus far unannounced as being shot in IMAX, so…really, eh.) the 4th flick for the Marvel webslinger will hit screens on May 5, 2011.

You may be wondering, why am I so blase about the release of another Spider-Man film, especially if you knew that I am one of the few people that defends portions of the 3rd film?

The reason is this…the return of Sam Raimi, Tobey McGuire and Kirsten Dunst.   You watch Spider-Man 3, and the parts that worked the best, or had the most spark of life, were the new elements…Thomas Haden Church as a forlorn Sandman, Topher Grace doing an interesting interpretation of Eddie Brock as a ‘bizarro Peter’ and Bryce Dallas Howard playing a perfectly ethereal Gwen Stacy.  By contrast, Raimi seemed beaten down by studio politics, Tobey felt/looked too tired and old to play superhero, and Dunst was just…terrible.

Raimi showed sparks again in this past summer’s Drag Me To Hell, but honestly, I have a bad feeling this is less people doing the movie for a “make-good”, but more because of the giant dumptrucks of Sony cash at their doors.

In a perfect world, Spider-Man would be handled like the Bond franchise, with new actors and creative team members flowing in as the one prior flows out.  But I guess instead, we’re going to see if there’s enough gas left in the tank for one more installment.

As a life-long Spider-Man fan, for whom the first two movies are popcorn-perfection, please gang, don’t let me down.

Original Post:  Imax books ‘Spider-Man 4’ for 2011.