Tom Cruise won't be the only one waiting in line on opening day. Here's a look at the summer's most anticipated releases.
May 6 Images courtesy movies.yahoo.com
**Kingdom of Heaven:** Ridley Scott (Gladiator) directs another historical epic as Orlando Bloom's Balian journeysto the Holy Land only to be caught up in the religious turmoil of the Crusades. Expect a wide-screen visual feast reminiscent of the opening battle sequence of Gladiator. Liam Neeson plays Godfrey of Ibelin, while Edward Norton hides behind a mask of solid gold as the leprous King Baldwin IV. The lovely Eva Green (The Dreamers) co-stars.
**Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith:** After two disappointing prequels, Anakin finally becomes Darth Vader in George Lucas' final installment of the beloved space saga. For the circle to be complete, this episode needs to depict the birth of twins Luke and Leia, a climactic battle between anakin (Hayden Christensen) and Obi-Wan (Ewan MacGregor) and the deaths of legions upon legions of Jedi. The previews are creating a buzz.
June15
Batman Begins: Acclaimed director Christopher Nolan (Memento) explores the early years of the Caped Crusader.
Christian Bale (American Psycho) dons the bat-suit, while Cillian Murphy (28 Days Later) plays arch-villain Scarecrow. Expect a more brooding Batman than the Joel Schumacher fiascos (Batman Forever, Batman and Robin). The movie will also show Batman's formative years in more detail than Tim Burton's original. Liam Neeson co-stars — this guy is busy this summer — he also has a cameo in Star Wars: Episode III.
Julv15
Charlie and the Chocolate Factory:
Johnny Depp reunites with frequent collaborator Tim Burton (Edward Scissorhands, Sleepy Hollow) for a wacky adaptation of the Roald Dahl novel. Depp plays the funny/creepy candy-man who sends out five Golden Tickets in five Wonka Bars. Of all the remakes this summer, this is the only one preceded by a great movie. Certainly it can't be as bad as Burton's bizarre remake of Planet of the Apes. Finding Neverland's Freddie Highmore plays the title character.
Aug.12
Everything Is Illuminated: Elijah Wood stars in an adaptation of Jonathan Safran Foer's critically lauded 2002 novel. Wood plays an American who travels to the Ukraine with his canine companion to find a woman who may have saved his grandfather from the Nazi death camps. No other movie this summer has better material to work with. And Wood is on a roll after The Lord of the Rings, Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind and Sin City. Everything is illuminated is the directoral debut of the actor Liev Schreiber (The Manchurian Candidate). Mark the calendar for this one.
—Stephen Shupe