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Blockbusters to blast into box office this summer

By Lou Gaul Calkins Media Film Critic 15 min read

The box-office battle during the 2007 summer film season won’t be a competition. It will be a blood sport.

There may never have been a time when so many potential blockbusters – third installments of “Pirates of the Caribbean,” “Shrek,” “Spider-Man,” “Ocean’s Eleven,” “Rush Hour” and the “Bourne” franchise – were landing in theaters in such a short period of time.

There will also be second installments “Fantastic Four” and “Alien vs. Predator,” a fourth “Die Hard” and a fifth “Harry Potter” in theaters between now and Labor Day.

Oh, yes: “The Simpsons” will also be making its big-screen debut.

For movie fans, the summer of 2007 shapes up to be an incredible movie-going season, and for studio bigwigs, it promises to be the most profitable season in Hollywood’s history.

So get out your calendars and start marking the release dates (all subject to change) of these cinematic sizzlers coming soon to a theater near you.

April 27

– “The Condemned,” with “Stone Cold” Steve Austin and Vinnie Jones (“Lock, Stock and Two-Smoking Barrels”) in a bloody R-rated tale about a television producer who creates a reality show by marooning 10 condemned killers on a desert island and filming their fights to the death until only one man is left standing.

– “Into Great Silence,” with Philip Groning directing a 162-minute documentary about the meditative and spiritual lives of the monks of the Carthusian Order in the French Alps.

– “The Invisible,” with Justin Chatwin (“War of the Worlds”) and Marcia Gay Harden (“Pollock”) in a PG-13 chiller about a teenager who’s beaten nearly to death by a troubled girl and then tries to communicate with his mind as he lays on the ground unable to move. It’s a remake of a Swedish film of the same name.

– “Kicking It Old School,” with Jamie Kennedy (“Scream”) in an R-rated comedy about a guy who spent 20 years in a coma due to a break-dancing accident. He wakes up with plans to continue his quest to be the world’s best break dancer.

– “Next,” with Nicolas Cage (“Ghost Rider”), Julianne Moore (“Children of Men”) and Jessica Biel (“Blade: Trinity”) in a thriller about a man with the ability to see a few minutes into the future. He changes his identity and takes a job as a magician in a remote Las Vegas lounge to prevent the government from finding him and doing experiments to find the source of his gift. He must decide whether to surface after a terrorist group threatens to detonate a nuclear device and his psychic powers may be able to help government agents locate the weapon of mass destruction.

May 4

– “The Flock,” with Richard Gere (“The Hoax”) and Claire Danes (“Shopgirl”) in a thriller about a federal agent and a new recruit on the trail of a paroled sex offender who may have kidnapped a child.

– “The Flying Scotsman,” with British actor Jonny Lee Miller (“Mindhunters”) in a fact-based story about Graeme Obree, a champion cyclist from New Zealand who suffered from mental-health problems and constructed his bicycle from the parts of old washing machines.

– “Lucky You,” with Eric Bana (“Munich”) and Drew Barrymore (“50 First Dates”) in a romantic comedy about a slick poker player trying to win a Las Vegas tournament as his love life is falling apart. Curtis Hanson (“In Her Shoes”) directed.

– “Offside,” with Jafar Panahi directing a PG-rated drama about some Iranian girls who dress as boys and attempt to enter Tehran’s Azadi Stadium – a place where only males are allowed – to watch a soccer match. Some are recognized and then face charges for their act of defiance.

– “September Dawn,” with Jon Voight (“Midnight Cowboy”) in an 1857-set, fact-based drama about a young man and women who fall in love despite the fact that their families and friends are on opposite sides of Utah’s Mountain Meadows Massacre.

– “Spider-Man 3,” with the title character (Tobey Maguire) facing two new supervillains, Sandman (Thomas Haden Church of “Sideways”) and Venom (Topher Grace of TV’s “That ’70s Show”), and battling his dark side. Kirsten Dunst and James Franco return as Mary Jane Watson and Harry Osborn.

– “The Wind That Takes the Barley,” with Cillian Murphy (“Red Eye”) in a drama about the volunteer guerilla armies who challenge the brutal English militia that was ordered to crush Ireland’s war of independence in the 1920s. British filmmaker Ken Loach (“My Name Is Joe”) directed.

May 11

– “Away from Her,” with Julie Christie (“Darling”), Olympia Dukakis (“Moonstruck”) and Kristen Thomson (“The English Patient”) in a Canadian-set drama about an aging woman who has long harbored a grudge against her two-timing husband and finds herself battling increasing memory loss. Actress Sarah Polley (remake of “Dawn of the Dead”) makes her directing debut with the film, based on “The Bear Came Over the Mountain,” a short story by Alice Munro.

– “Delta Farce,” with Larry the Cable Guy (“Health Inspector”) and Danny Trejo (“Grindhouse”) in a broad military comedy about some good ol’ boys who are mistaken for Army Reservists, placed on transport to Iraq and accidentally ejected over Mexico, where they battle a local warlord.

– “The Ex,” with Zach Braff (TV’s “Scrubs”), Amanda Peet (“The Whole Nine Yards”), and Jason Bateman (TV’s “Arrested Development”) in a romantic comedy about a guy who must go to work for his father-in-law after his wife becomes pregnant and quits her lucrative job.

– “Georgia Rule,” with Jane Fonda (“The China Syndrome”), Lindsay Lohan (“A Prairie Home Companion”) and Felicity Huffman (TV’s “Desperate Housewives”). In the comedy, a frustrated mother moves her out-of-control teenage daughter, who delights in drinking, swearing and driving mishaps, from San Francisco to Idaho, where she hopes the troubled girl’s no-nonsense grandmother can handle her. Garry Marshall (“Beaches”) directed.

– “Hip Hop Project,” with Chris “Kazi” Rolle in a documentary about a program, founded in 1999, that gives troubled teens an opportunity to write, produce and record an album with songs about the hardships they face.

– “Home of the Brave,” with Samuel L. Jackson (“Black Snake Moan”), Jessica Biel (“Stealth”) and Curtis “50 Cent” Jackson (“Get Rich or Die Tryin'”) in an R-rated military drama about soldiers wounded in Iraq and then facing severe problems in readjusting to civilian life.

– “28 Weeks Later,” with Robert Carlyle (“The Full Monty”) in a sequel to “28 Days” in which the military believes that it now controls the virus that transforms people into vicious killers and then discovers that an infected person has slipped through the security zone. Juan Carlos Fresnadillo (“Intacto”) directed.

– “The Valet,” with Gad Elmaleh in a PG-rated comedy import about a billionaire who hires an average guy to pretend to be the boyfriend of his super-model mistress so that his wife doesn’t suspect anything. To make the relationship seem believable, the husband insists that his lover move in with the title character, and she becomes attracted to the simple man.

May 18

– “Captivity,” with Elisha Cuthbert (TV’s “24”) and Daniel Gillies (TV’s “Into the West”) in a chiller about a couple who are kidnapped, locked in a basement and then tortured as the reason for their abduction is revealed.

– “1408,” with John Cusack (“The Ice Harvest”), Samuel L. Jackson (“Snakes on a Plane”) and Mary McCormack (“Private Parts”) in an adaptation of a Stephen King short story about a haunted hotel room and an author of haunted-tour guides who risks his life by staying in it.

– “Shrek the Third,” with Mike Meyers, Cameron Diaz, Eddie Murphy and Antonio Banderas returning as the voices of Shrek, Princess Fiona, Donkey and Puss in Boots, respectively, in a sequel that has the title character in line to become ruler of his father-in-law’s kingdom.

May 25

– “Bug,” with Harry Connick Jr. (“Memphis Belle”) and Ashley Judd (“Kiss the Girls”) in a thriller about a mentally unbalanced veteran who keeps seeing images of insects, becomes involved with a lonely woman and goes into hiding in a hotel room

– “Pirates of the Caribbean: At the World’s End,” with Johnny Depp, Orlando Bloom and Keira Knightley sailing beyond all charted territories in search of the ultimate treasure and facing their most dangerous battle. Chow Yun-fat (“Hard-Boiled”) will join the series, and Rolling Stones guitarist Keith Richards will make a cameo appearance as the father of Depp’s Jack Sparrow.

– “The Treatment,” with Chris Eigeman (“Maid in Manhattan”), Famke Janssen (“X-Men”) and Ian Holm (“Alien”) in a romantic comedy about a single guy who goes against the wishes of his controlling psychiatrist and tries to win the heart of a beautiful widow.

June 1

– “Gracie,” with Elisabeth Shue (“Leaving Las Vegas”) and Dermot Mulroney (“My Best Friend’s Wedding”) in a fact-based, 1978-set tale about a 15-year-old girl from South Orange, N.J., who battled the odds to play competitive soccer at a time when girls’ soccer didn’t exist.

– “Hot Rod,” with Andy Samberg (TV’s “Saturday Night Live”), Isla Fisher (“Wedding Crashers”) and Sissy Spacek (“Carrie”) in a comedy about a daredevil determined to jump a moped across a river to impress his remote stepfather.

– “Knocked Up,” with Katherine Heigl (TV’s “Grey’s Anatomy”) in a raunchy R-rated comedy about a success-driven woman who fails to use protection during a one-night stand with an aimless slacker (Seth Rogen of “You, Me and Dupree”) and ends up pregnant. Judd Apatow (“The 40 Year-Old Virgin”) directed.

– “Mr. Brooks,” with Kevin Costner (“Field of Dreams”), Demi Moore (“Bobby”), William Hurt (“A History of Violence”), Marg Helgenberger (TV’s “C.S.I.: Crime Scene Investigation”) and comic Dane Cook (“Employee of the Month”) in a thriller. Moore plays a tough detective on the trail of a serial killer, a madman who respects her effort to capture him and develops an unusual relationship with the officer.

– “Severance,” with Toby Stevens (“Die Another Day”) in a revenge tale about employees of a defense contractor who travel to a lodge in the mountains of Eastern Europe for a training seminar. Once in that faraway location, they’re attacked by revenge-seeking killers.

June 8

– “Hostel: Part II,” with Jay Hernandez returning from the original in this follow-up that has three female students who visit Italy for the summer and then find they’re staying in a place that sells young women to men who want to torture them. Eli Roth again directed.

– “Ocean’s Thirteen,” with George Clooney, Brad Pitt, Don Cheadle, Matt Damon, Bernie Mac and the rest of the crew once again planning a heist. Julia Roberts is reportedly sitting out the third installment, but Ellen Barkin (“The Big Easy”) and Al Pacino (“Scarface”) have been added by director Steven Soderbergh.

– “Surf’s Up,” with the voices of Shia LaBeouf (“Disturbia”), Jeff Bridges (“The Big Lebowski”), Zooey Deschanel (“Elf”) and Jon Heder (“Blades of Glory”) in an animated tale about a penguin surfing competition.

June 15

– “Fantastic Four 2: Rise of the Silver Surfer,” with Ioan Gruffudd, Jessica Alba, Chris Evans and Michael Chiklis again playing Mr. Fantastic, Invisible Woman, The Human Torch and The Thing, respectively, and battling a seemingly indestructible being that travels the galaxy via a flying surfboard.

– “La Vie en Rose,” with Oliver Dahan directing a biography of singer Edith Piaf (Marion Cotillard) and following her life from her time on the mean streets of the Belleville district of Paris to her dazzling success at New York’s concert halls.

– “Nancy Drew,” with Emma Roberts (the niece of Julia Roberts) as the young crime solver from the book series, which began in 1930. The mystery involves the murder of a Hollywood movie star.

June 29

– “Evan Almighty,” with Steve Carell (“The 40 Year-Old Virgin”) replacing Jim Carrey in this sequel to “Bruce Almighty.” In the follow-up, Carell’s character receives a message from God (again played by Morgan Freeman) to build an ark like Noah and gather some creatures to protect them from an upcoming flood.

– “Live Free or Die Hard,” with Bruce Willis back for his fourth appearance as tough cop John McClane, who challenges a deadly terrorist organization attempting to shut down computers across the country. Timothy Olyphant (HBO’s “Deadwood”) co-stars as the villain, and teen favorite Justin Long (“Accepted”) appears as McClane’s young helper.

– “Ratatouille,” with the voices of Brad Garrett (TV’s “Everybody Loves Raymond”) and Janeane Garofalo (“Reality Bites”) in a computer-animated tale about a rat who lives in the sewers of Paris and decides to infiltrate a fancy restaurant that’s right above his living quarters.

July 4

– “License to Wed,” with Robin Williams (“Night at the Museum”), Mandy Moore (“Because I Said So”) and John Krasinski (TV’s “The Office”) in a romantic comedy about a young couple willing to go to any extremes to get married in a famous church with only one wedding slot open for the next two years.

– “Rescue Dawn,” with Christian Bale (“Batman Begins”) in a fact-based story about Dieter Dengler, the only American to ever break out of a POW camp in the Laotian jungle. Werner Herzog (“Fitzcarraldo”) directed.

– “Transformers,” with Shia LaBeouf (“Constantine”), Tyrese Gibson (“Four Brothers”), Josh Duhamel (TV’s “Las Vegas”), Anthony Anderson (“The Departed”) and Jon Voight (“Heat”) in a live-action version of the animated series. Michael Bay (“The Island”) directed the big-budget picture, which has the Autobots and Decepticons in a battle that will seal the fate of Earth.

July 13

– “Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix,” with Daniel Radcliffe, Rupert Grint and Emma Watson returning as Harry, Ron and Hermione, respectively, and facing the wrath of the evil Lord Voldemort (Ralph Fiennes).

July 20

– “Hairspray,” with John Travolta (“Pulp Fiction”), Queen Latifah (“Chicago”), Michelle Pfeiffer (“Scarface”) and Billy Crystal (“City Slickers”) in an adaptation of the Broadway musical about a plus-sized teenage girl fighting prejudice in Baltimore. It’s based on the John Waters film.

– “I Now Pronounce You Chuck and Larry,” with Adam Sandler (“Reign Over Me”), Kevin James (TV’s “The King of Queens”), Jessica Biel (“The Illusionist”), Ving Rhames (“Mission: Impossible”) and Dan Aykroyd (“The Blues Brothers”) in a comedy about two straight, single firefighters who pretend to be gay in order to receive domestic-partner health benefits.

July 27

– “No Reservations,” with Catherine Zeta-Jones (“Chicago”), Aaron Eckhart (“Thank You for Smoking”) and Abigail Breslin (“Little Miss Sunshine”) in a comedy about a painstaking chef whose perfect world goes out of control when her 9-year-old niece comes to live with her.

– “The Simpsons Movie,” with Homer and company bringing their act to the big screen in an animated tale being created under a veil of secrecy.

Aug. 3

– “The Bourne Ultimatum,” with Matt Damon returning for his third appearances as Jason Bourne in a tale that has the lethal operative eluding authorities after a Moscow shooting and trying to piece together his past. Joan Allen and Julia Stiles are also back.

– “Lars and the Real Girl,” with Ryan Gosling (“Fracture”), Patricia Clarkson (“All the King’s Men”) and Emily Mortimer (“The Pink Panther”) in an offbeat tale about a delusional guy who strikes up a relationship with a doll he finds on the Internet.

– “Underdog,” with Jason Lee (TV’s “My Name Is Earl”) and Amy Adams (“Junebug”) providing voices for a comedy adventure that uses live-action footage and computer-generated images to tell the story of the superhero canine devoted to protecting Capitol City.

Aug. 10

– “Alien vs. Predator: AVP2,” with Steven Pasquale (TV’s “Rescue Me”) caught between – you guessed it – deadly aliens and lethal predators.

– “Rush Hour 3,” with Chris Tucker and Jackie Chan back as the mismatched police partners who in this installment battle Asian gangsters in Paris.

– “Stardust,” with Claire Danes (“Terminator 3”), Sienna Miller (“Factory Girl”), Ricky Gervais (HBO’s “Extras”), Peter O’Toole (“Venus”) and Robert De Niro (“The Good Shepherd”) in a fantasy thriller about villagers who maintain a cobblestone wall in order to protect themselves from the supernatural realm that lies just beyond it. Matthew Vaughn (“Layer Cake”) directed the film, based on the graphic novel by Neil Gaiman.

Aug. 17

– “The Invasion,” with Nicole Kidman (“Moulin Rouge”) and Daniel Craig (“Casino Royale”) in a remake of the fantasy chiller “Invasion of the Body Snatchers,” based on the novel by Jack Finney. Kidman plays a psychiatrist who discovers that her son might hold the secret to stopping the infiltration of extraterrestrials.

– “The Pleasure of Your Company,” with Jason Biggs (“American Pie”) and Isla Fisher (“The Lookout”) in a romantic comedy about a guy who after being dumped by his beloved girlfriend tries to get over the break by almost immediately proposing to a waitress, who accepts his offer. He’s shocked when their relationship turns into a genuine love affair.

– “Rocket Science,” with Reece Daniel Thompson (“Dreamcatcher”) as a Plainsboro, N.J. teen who has a stutter and joins the high-powered debate team at his high school to impress a girl in his class.

– “Superbad,” with Jonah Hill (“Accepted”) and Michael Cera (TV’s “Arrested Development”) in a broad comedy about two co-dependent high-school buddies struggling to put on a beer blast to impress their fellow students.

Aug. 31

– “Halloween,” with Rob Zombie (“The Devil’s Rejects”) directing a prequel to John Carpenter’s original that shows what turned Michael Meyers into a serial killer.

Sources used for this report include Boxoffice Magazine, Entertainment Weekly, Variety, Film Journal International and the Internet Movie Database.

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