Sam Raimi will direct the Columbia Pictures film, which will again star Tobey Maguire in the title role. Plot details have not been revealed.
Laura Ziskin and Avi Arad will produce the film, and Kirsten Dunst is also expected to again co-star.
The choice of Lindsay-Abaire, the industry paper says, signals that the "filmmakers are intent to focus on character, something that critics said got lost in the third installment."
David Lindsay-Abaire won the Pulitzer Prize in Drama and a Best Play Tony nomination for Rabbit Hole. His other plays include Kimberly Akimbo, Fuddy Meers and Wonder of the World. Lindsay-Abaire also wrote the book and lyrics for Shrek the Musical, which begins previews on Broadway Nov. 8.
The playwright also penned the screenplay for the film of Rabbit Hole, which will star Nicole Kidman, and the screenplay for "Inkheart," which is due in January 2009.
