It seems that Sam Raimi's search for a villain for his upcoming Spider-Man 4 may be nearing an end. Raimi has remained tight-lipped on which foe he wants to be fighting Tobey Maguire's webslinger in the next Spider-Man movie, but according to a report this morning over at Mania.com, the Black Cat (aka Felicia Hardy) has emerged victorious.

Furthermore, the site reports that Rachel McAdams - next to be seen in Sherlock Holmes - has met with the producers about the part (we're just grateful it's not Megan Fox, given that she seems to be linked with any female role under 30 right now), and is in pole position for the role.

Less promising is that there may yet be two villains in the film rather than one, although Mania reports that The Lizard isn't going to be one of them. Given that Dylan Baker is returning to play Dr Conners for another film, it was suggested that he would complete his transformation into The Lizard in Spider-Man 4. But perhaps he's being put on the back burner until the planned Spider-Mans 5 and 6.

Here's the Mania story. And we await further details on all of this with interest...