By 2016, filmmaker Marc Webb will have four feature directorial efforts under his belt, three of which will have been Spider-Man movies.  The (500) Days of Summer director was somewhat surprisingly pegged to reboot Sony’s Spider-Man franchise with 2012’s The Amazing Spider-Man, and he returned to helm this May’s The Amazing Spider-Man 2 and is already onboard to direct The Amazing Spider-Man 3 for a June 10, 2016 release date.  However, it appears that Webb has decided his involvement with the Spider-Man franchise will come to an end with the third film—at least directorially.  Hit the jump to read on.

During a recent interview with The Daily Beast (via SHH), Webb said that his current plan involves stepping back into a producorial capacity for The Amazing Spider-Man 4:

“I’d like to be involved [in The Amazing Spider-Man 4] as a consultant, and I’ve already talked to these guys about it, but in terms of directing it, that will close out my tenure. I’ve had so much fun doing it, but after the third movie, it’ll be the time to find something else.”

The Amazing Spider-Man 4 is definitely going to happen, as Sony has already announced a May 4, 2018 release date for the sequel, but Webb stepping back and letting a new filmmaker come in isn’t altogether surprising.  Though the director has brought a refreshing character-driven focus to this new Spider-Man franchise, I’m quite eager to see what other kinds of films Webb has up his sleeve.  Moreover, star Andrew Garfield’s option with the series likely concludes after the third film, meaning he could contractually walk away from the franchise after The Amazing Spider-Man 3 as well.

Could The Amazing Spider-Man 4 be yet another reboot for the series, or will Garfield re-up with a new filmmaker onboard?  2018 is still a ways away so a lot can happen in the interim, but it’ll be interesting to see how Sony moves forward.  Moreover, Michael Bay stated his intention to leave the Transformers series after the third film but later changed his mind, so there’s also the (unlikely) possibility that Webb actually does direct The Amazing Spider-Man 4.

The studio has already stated its intention to release a new Spider-Man film every year starting with The Amazing Spider-Man 3 in 2016, and they’re actively working on a Sinister Six film with writer/director Drew Goddard and a Venom movie with Alex Kurtzman directing.  How The Amazing Spider-Man 4 fits into this plan remains to be seen, but again, I’m very interested to see what kind of filmmaker will enter the franchise.

Who do you think should take over Spider-Man after Webb leaves, dear readers?  Sound off in the comments below.