Director Sam Raimi admits it’s hard not to think about the next film even as he completes work on “Spider-Man 3,” but he’s not sure if he’ll be asked back. Even though it’s obvious to everyone from the common fan to Hollywood insiders that Columbia Pictures will want him back, it doesn’t seem so obvious to him.

Raimi’s love of the character, his dedication (he’s gone directly into preproduction on a new film almost as soon as the premiere party is winding down for the current movie) and his ability to continually impress fans not just with special effects but with story and heart have led the “Spider-Man” movie franchise to make over $1 billion worldwide.

So, ask again, will the studio want him back?

We say yes, and here’s why he and everyone else from Tobey Maguire to Kirsten Dunst are all coming back with him.

The easy answer is the money.

And there will be lots of money.

Columbia (and its parent, Sony) and Marvel Studios know Raimi is the heart of the franchise and Maguire is Spider-Man to a generation of moviegoers. Expect the studio to back up a Brinks truck to pay Maguire a Brad Pitt-level salary of $20 million for his return. You can also count on Dunst—as the only other cast member that would have to return—to earn a huge payday for a fourth film.

But the cash is only a part of the equation. While you can add cash to prestige, it’s the Raimi factor that will really get everyone back for a fourth film.

Talk to the cast, the producers and the crew, and all unanimously point to Raimi as not just the centerpiece of the “Spider-Man” franchise, but as the most collaborative director in Hollywood.
 

“We’re not quite sure what’s going to happen,” added Maguire. “If there are stories worth telling, then we will tell them.”

Dunst and Maguire also know Raimi understands what’s cool about Spider-Man, and that he understands what fans (both longtime and new) want to see.

When “Spider-Man” producer and former Marvel CEO Avi Arad told Raimi he needed to add Venom—a mid-’90s creation that was almost the exact opposite of the classic villains Raimi was most familiar with—to “Spider-Man 3,” the director could have used his reputation as a money maker and proven storyteller to say no, but instead, he thought about the fans. When Arad told him not to be “selfish,” Raimi didn’t flinch. Instead, he took the idea and ran with it, turning Venom into a major force in the third film.

The move showed that Raimi doesn’t just know how important the fans’ wants and needs are, but how important it is to make sure there’s something for every kind of Spider-Man fan in each and every film. In fact, Raimi originally planned to include another classic villain in the third movie, and while the director won’t confirm it, most believe the spot would have gone to character actor Dylan Baker’s Prof. Curt Conners, the scientist who becomes the reptilian Lizard in the comics.
 

And while we’re confident “Spider-Man 4” will happen, don’t expect it as soon as you saw the sequels to “Spider-Man” and “Spider-Man 2” crop up. Those sequels had Raimi going directly into brainstorming and preproduction as soon as the flicks were in the can, and no one’s saying Raimi doesn’t deserve a vacation—after all, he’s only taken about 10 days off in the last 24 months of work!

Oh, and there’s a little flick called “The Shadow” (see sidebar) that Raimi might direct now since he and Columbia Pictures will team to produce it. And there’s also the fact that his and Rob Tapert’s production company, Ghost House Pictures, which develops scary movies, just established a TV division, so there’s no shortage of work for the 47-year-old.

But he will be back, and he’ll bring with him not just the enthusiasm and love he’s become known for, but the actors who trust him with their careers with each additional film.

No, there’s no question Raimi and company will work on at least one more blockbuster. In fact, the biggest question on our minds now is what we’re going to call the eventual DVD box set of the four flicks: the “Spider-Man Quadrilogy” or the “Spider-Man Tetralogy”? Hmm. We’d probably label it the “Spider-Man Saga,” which would aptly describe the events off-screen as well.