According to a report by Variety, Gary Ross (“Pleasantville”) is closing in on a deal to not only direct a “Venom” project, a spinoff of Sony’s “Spider-Man” franchise, but also possibly rewrite the current script. Topher Grace, who portrayed the character of Eddie Brock/Venom in “Spider-Man 3″, will not be returning to the role of Venom, an enemy of Spider-Man bonded to an alien symbiote that gifts him with powers similar to Spider-Man. First introduced in 1986 by Marvel Comics, Brock was a photographer similar to Peter Parker who falls out of grace thanks to Spider-Man. He was the first character to be known as Venom after bonding to the…