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MacGruber
Hook: A goofball operative harbors delusions of grandeur in this parody of ’80s/’90s TV show MacGyver.
Assets: On Saturday Night Live, writer-star Will Forte milks laughs from his mulleted character’s incompetence during dire situations, and always-hilarious Kristen Wiig throws ridiculous fuel on the comedic fire. Amplifying the stakes for the big screen: actor Val Kilmer, who will likely have ham juice drizzling down his chin as he chews into the role of bad guy Dieter Von Cunth.
Leading question: MacGruber director Jorma Taccone shoots funny shorts for SNL, but can he stretch a short TV gag into a 90-minute feature?
Release date: May 21
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Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time
Hook: Ubisoft’s swords-and-sandals videogame comes to life in a blaze of CGI glory. The story centers on a handsome hero intent on protecting an ancient dagger imbued with the power to reverse time.
Assets: In Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time, comely Gemma Arterton ( Clash of the Titans) plays the mysterious princess who inspires Jake Gyllenhaal’s title character in his quest. Director Mike Newell ( Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire) and cinematographer John Seale ( Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone) draw on a strong fantasy-action pedigree.
Leading question: The ability to stage outlandishly heroic feats that don’t get swallowed up by the CGI scenery is a rare one. Will this Jerry Bruckheimer production take a ponderous turn like Clash of Titans?
Release date: May 28
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Micmacs
Hook: Unlucky dreamer Bazil is damaged by a landmine and gets hit with a stray bullet before teaming with a band of eccentrics. Together, Remington, Calculator, Buster, Slammer, Elastic Girl, Tiny Pete, Mama Chow and Bazil stage a counterattack on the weapons giant that ruined their lives.
Assets: Director Jean-Pierre Jeunet has one of the best eyes in the business. Known for the whimsical Amelie, this French filmmaker conjured a dazzling dystopia in City of Lost Children and displayed visual daring even with his Hollywood misfire Alien Resurrection.
Leading question: An actor named Dany Boon plays the lead in Micmacs. Can a starless picture with a bizarre title attract crowds during popcorn season?
Release date: May 28
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Splice
Hook: Rebel scientists live to regret it after they splice human and animal DNA to generate a new organism.
Assets: Splice producer Guillermo Del Toro ( The Hobbit, Hellboy) oversees the creep factor in this sci-fi thriller from storyboard artist-turned-director Vincenzo Natali (Cube, Cypher). Expect quality performances from Oscar winner Adrien Brody and indie film queen Sarah Polley as twisted researchers Clive and Elsa.
Leading question: Will moviegoers get past a premise predicated on the scientific exploitation of a deformed creature?
Release date: June 4
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Jonah Hex
Hook: A post-Civil War bounty hunter, burdened with nasty scars and a complicated relationship with a bordello employee, chases down a hellbent villain.
Assets: Putting his own spin on the twisted DC Comics’ graphic novel series, intense Josh Brolin stars as the gnarly antihero in Jonah Hex. Megan Fox plays sex worker Leila.
Leading question: At 2009’s Comic-Con International, Brolin said director Jimmy Hayward’s frenetic shooting schedule in Louisiana included lots of last-minute script changes. Will Hex’s prosthetics, and dialogue by Mark Neveldine and Brian Taylor, hold up?
Release date: June 18
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The Last Airbender
Hook: Based on Nickelodeon’s animated series, The Last Airbender follows a young martial arts warrior who discovers he’s the lone surviving member of the Air Nomads.
Assets: Noah Ringer, a tae kwon do champion from Texas, plays reluctant hero Aang. His adversary: the evil Prince Zuko, portrayed by Slumdog Millionaire ‘s Dev Patel. Oscar-winning cinematographer Andrew Lesnie ( The Lord of the Rings trilogy) captures the action for director M. Night Shyamalan, with plenty of eye-popping “bending” effects that turn air, water, earth and fire into elemental weapons.
Leading question: Directing a non-original story for the first time could turn out to be a blessing in disguise for auteur Shyamalan. Will Airbender mark a return to form after his widely heckled 2008 dud The Happening?
Release date: July 2
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Predators
Hook: Rebooting 1987’s original Predator, this monster movie chronicles the mayhem that ensues when humans are unloosed on a planet-wide game preserve set up for alien hunters’ amusement.
Asset: When Texas-based producer Robert Rodriguez and director Nimrod Antal previewed their Predators clips at the South by Southwest film festival in March, the consensus was clear: The updated creatures designed by effects artist Greg Nicotero are nasty as hell.
Leading question: Predator sequels ran low on inspiration. Can Rodriguez and his team reanimate the gnarly extraterrestrials for a new generation?
Release date: July 9
Photo: Rico Torres
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Inception
Hook: In the future, operatives hack civilians’ dreams to extract personal information.
Asset: Batman movies aside, director Christopher Nolan gets his kicks making dense, puzzle-logic films that invite multiple viewings. The Prestige messed with magicians’ manipulations of illusion, while 2001 indie winner Memento blew minds by chopping up memories in reverse order. For Inception , Nolan populates a vast alterna-world with ace actors including the always-reliable Leo DiCaprio and sharp-shooting Ellen Page ( Juno).
Leading question: REM-driven drama always runs the risk of beating the reality-versus-dream horse into the ground. Will Inception ‘s labyrinthine twists hypnotize, or put audiences to sleep?
Release date: July 16
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Salt
Hook: Espionage thriller backs CIA officer Evelyn Salt into the corner when she’s accused of spying for the Russians.
Asset: Angelina Jolie, moviedom’s finest female action star, kicked plenty of ass in Tomb Raider, Mr. and Mrs. Smith and Wanted. For Salt , she teams with Aussie director Phillip Noyce. Adept at making thoughtful political thrillers like The Quiet American, Noyce should coax some Serious Actress moves from Jolie in between the film’s shoot’em-up sequences.
Leading question: Russian spycraft routinely fueled dramatic friction in movies made during the Iron Curtain era, but will Cold War paranoia resonate with contemporary filmgoers?
Release date: July 23
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The Adjustment Bureau
Hook: Inspired by a Philip K. Dick story, The Adjustment Bureau hurls a politician into the arms of a mysterious ballerina and chronicles the surreal consequences.
Asset: When he played Jason Bourne, Matt Damon proved a master of teeth-on-knuckle suspense. Teamed with the formidable Emily Blunt, Damon should scare up some smart twists as he digs into the surreal edges of this thriller, directed by Bourne Ultimatum writer George Nolfi.
Leading question: Making a great thriller is no easy task, as Damon and Bourne sequels director Paul Greengrass learned on their underwhelming The Green Zone. Will Bureau reconnect Damon with his nail-biting sweet spot?
Release date: July 30
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Scott Pilgrim vs. the World
Hook: Adapted from the Oni Press graphic novel series, this coming-of-age adventure follows an awkward teenager determined to fight all his girlfriend’s ex-boyfriends one at a time.
Asset: Following on Nick and Norah’s Infinite Playlist, Michael Cera keeps the nerdy musician thing going for director Edgar Wright, the jokes ‘n’ action filmmaker behind the hilarious Shaun of the Dead and Hot Fuzz. Mary Elizabeth Winstead (Quentin Tarantino’s Deathproof) co-stars.
Leading question: Since his breakthrough on TV’s Arrested Development, Cera has made the most of his dry Canadian charm. Does Scott Pilgrim vs. the World send the talented actor to the shy/funny/sensitive well once too often?
Release date: Aug. 13
