“Spider-Man 3,” opening today, may be one of the most hotly anticipated arrivals of the season, but it’s got plenty of company. Here are just a few of the potential remedies for your summertime blues.
MAY 11
28 Weeks Later
There is no answer for some kinds of infection. So we were warned in “28 Days Later,” Danny Boyle’s chilling tale of ravenous zombies on the rampage in London. “28 Weeks Later” returns to the scene of the slaughter — minus Boyle and star Cillian Murphy — just as the deadly rage virus restores anarchy in the U.K. Rated R.
MAY 18
Shrek the Third
The fate of the DreamWorks empire rests squarely on Shrek’s shoulders, and so far the jolly green giant has proved he can handle the load. After “Shrek 2” became the third highest-grossing film in U.S. history — only “Titanic” and “Star Wars” earned more — it was just a matter of time before screenwriter Adam Adamson returned to the land of Far, Far Away, where new inhabitants include Justin Timberlake and the ever-menacing Ian McShane. Rated PG.
MAY 25
Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End
The latest “Pirates” chapter finds Johnny Depp’s Jack Sparrow struggling to escape Davy Jones’ locker, just in time to provide Disney’s wildly successful (but occasionally murky) trilogy with some measure of resolution. But is this really the “End”? Time will tell. Rated PG-13.
JUNE 1
Knocked Up
From Judd Apatow, director of the “40 Year Old Virgin,” comes another raunchy tale of libidinous misadventure, in which fellow “Virgin” alum Seth Rogen lucks into a one-night-stand with “Grey’s Anatomy” star Katherine Heigl. The result? An unexpected pregnancy, followed by an even more unexpected romance. Rated R.
JUNE 1
Mr. Brooks
Kevin Costner plays a clean-cut family man with an unhealthy appetite for carnage and a seriously unfunny sidekick (Dane Cook) in “Mr. Brooks.” Rated R.
JUNE 8
Hostel: Part II
Director Eli Roth revisits the torture chambers of Slovakia, where unsuspecting American tourists are lured to their grisly deaths. Not for the squeamish, and not yet rated.
JUNE 8
Ocean’s Thirteen
George Clooney, Brad Pitt and the rest of the “Ocean’s” gang re-team for “Thirteen,” which seeks to atone for the self-indulgent sins of its immediate predecessor. This time, the boys are back in Vegas — no big surprise there — preparing the ultimate heist to take down a rogue casino owner played by Al Pacino. Not yet rated.
JUNE 15
Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer
Despite the critical backlash that accompanied the box-office success of “Fantastic Four,” Ioan Gruffudd is confident that “The Silver Surfer” will avoid a similar fate. “The first movie had its share of problems,” says Gruffudd, who plays Mr. Fantastic. “It wasn’t always the easiest shoot, and we had to establish these characters before we could get comfortable with them. But ‘The Silver Surfer’ was a great experience, and it has a much stronger story.” Not yet rated.
JUNE 15
Nancy Drew
Author Carolyn Keene’s famous teen detective, played by Emma Roberts, arrives in modern-day Hollywood ready to solve a cold-case murder mystery. Can the Hardy Boys be far behind? Rated PG.
JUNE 22
Evan Almighty
No Jim Carrey? No problem. “Evan Almighty,” the long-awaited sequel to 2003’s “Bruce,” finds formerly tongue-tied newscaster Evan Baxter (Steve Carell, of “The 40 Year Old Virgin”) building an ark, Noah-style, in preparation for a great biblical flood. Morgan Freeman co-stars, as does most of the animal kingdom. Rated PG.
JUNE 27
Live Free or Die Hard
Twelve years after John McClane (Bruce Willis) saved Manhattan from a murderous gang of gold thieves, the wisecracking, old-school cop is back on the job, chasing down a decidedly 21st-century villain — a ruthless cyber-terrorist played by Timothy Olyphant (“Deadwood”). Not yet rated.
JUNE 29
Ratatouille
A mischievous rat takes up residence in the restaurant of an acclaimed Paris chef. Not interested? It’s made by Pixar. Now are you interested? We thought so. Not yet rated.
JUNE ?
Sicko
Not much is known about Michael Moore’s “Sicko” — the “Fahrenheit 9/11” documentarian remains uncharacteristically mum — except that it casts a critical eye on America’s health care industry and is due sometime in June. Stay tuned for further details. Not yet rated.
JULY 4
Rescue Dawn
Christian Bale sheds his Batman cape, at least temporarily, for “Rescue Dawn,” director Werner Herzog’s account of one man’s desperate bid to escape a Laotian POW camp during the Vietnam War. Think “Rambo,” minus the cartoonish ultra-violence and cheesy one-liners. Not yet rated.
JULY 4
Transformers
Twenty-one years after Orson Welles finished his storied career with one last starring role — as the voice of Optimus Prime in “Transformers: The Movie” — director Michael Bay (“Armageddon”) brings the epic battle between the Autobots and Decepticons to Earth, in live-action format. The future of the free world, of course, hangs in the balance. Not yet rated.
JULY 13
1408
Stephen King’s stories have inspired films both fair (“Misery,” “The Shining”) and foul (pretty much everything else), but that spotty track record didn’t scare off John Cusack and Samuel L. Jackson, who star in this spooky thriller about a hotel room that doubles as hell on earth — and not just because of the room service. Not yet rated.
JULY 13
Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix
The fifth installment of J.K. Rowling’s celebrated saga will feature enough magic to satisfy even the most discriminating Muggle, but detail-obsessed readers be warned: At just over two hours, “Order of the Phoenix” will be the shortest Potter movie to date, meaning that some of Harry’s Hogwarts adventures won’t make it past the editing-room floor. Not yet rated.
JULY 20
I Now Pronounce You Chuck & Larry
Adam Sandler and Kevin James star in this edgy comedy about two heterosexual firefighters who pose as a gay couple to receive domestic-partner benefits. And who better than Happy Gilmore and the King of Queens to inject themselves into the debate over same-sex marriage? On second thought, don’t answer that. Not yet rated.
JULY 27
I Know Who Killed Me
Well-publicized production delays (possibly caused by star Lindsay Lohan’s hard-partying ways) couldn’t sink this thriller, about a young woman who suffers an identity crisis aftersurviving a brush with a serial killer. Rated R.
JULY 27
No Reservations
Hungry for love? Catherine Zeta-Jones and Aaron Eckhart play upscale chefs whose professional rivalry gives way to old-fashioned romance in this remake of “Mostly Martha,” from “Snow Falling on Cedars” director Scott Hicks. Rated PG.
JULY 27
The Simpsons Movie
Let’s face it, “The Simpsons” has seen better days, having floundered creatively during its last two seasons on Fox. No matter. For the first time in nearly two decades, the animated sitcom’s top writers — including series creator Matt Groening — have joined forces to bring Springfield to life as we once knew it. Not yet rated.
AUG. 1
El Cantante
Jennifer Lopez fans, rejoice! (Yes, both of you.) Despite the high-profile flops that accompanied her rocky romance with Ben Affleck, Lopez and husband Marc Anthony will share top billing this summer in “El Cantante,” a biopic about Puerto Rican salsa sensation Hector Lavoe. Not yet rated.
AUG. 3
The Bourne Ultimatum
The “Bourne” series has always been smarter than its competition, less reliant on effects-heavy fantasy than tense, character-driven drama. Does “Ultimatum” represent the end of the line? Maybe. The late Robert Ludlum wrote only three novels about super-spy Jason Bourne, but director Paul Greengrass mercifully refuses to rule out the possibility of another sequel. Not yet rated.
AUG. 10
Rush Hour 3
It wasn’t so long ago that Jackie Chan publicly accused “Rush Hour” co-star Chris Tucker of demanding too much creative control over their somewhat forgotten (but massively successful) franchise. Differences aside, the two will reunite in
theaters this August, traveling to Paris to fight a Chinese crime syndicate. Not yet rated.
AUG. 31
Halloween
It’s not a sequel or a remake, it’s a re-imagining; that’s director Rob Zombie’s story, and he’s sticking to it. His latest delves deep into the psyche of Mike Myers, the legendary on-screen serial killer, and gives him a backstory ghoulish enough to explain his insatiable lust for blood. Not yet rated.
SEPT. 7
The Brothers Solomon
Will Arnett (“Arrested Development”) and Will Forte (“Saturday Night Live”) star as a pair of socially inept brothers whose attempts to produce a grandchild for their dying father go wildly astray. Where does the line begin? Rated R.
