Summer movie preview

Think summer blockbusters, and the usual suspects leap to mind — Tom Cruise, Angelina Jolie and, of course, Mr. Summer himself, Will Smith.

So why is Jeff Bridges, of all people, staring down the man who would be “Iron Man”?

Mr. Bridges contends that audiences don’t expect to see director Jon Favreau or Robert Downey Jr. attached to a superhero film, either.

It’s a key reason he signed up for “Iron Man,” which unofficially kicks off the summer movie season today.

“I thought if these two guys would be involved, we would get something out of it,” says Mr. Bridges, who admits he isn’t a comic-book fan.

A second-tier Marvel property, “Iron Man” follows an industrialist named Tony Stark (Mr. Downey) who fights evildoers in an iron suit of his own creation. Mr. Bridges co-stars as Obadiah Stane, Stark’s old friend and business partner.

“Iron Man” is the first in a wave of popcorn movies heading our way, a megabudgeted blend of the old, the recycled and Adam Sandler.

Next weekend brings “Speed Racer” (May 9), the supercharged adaptation of the kiddie cartoon from the Wachowski brothers (“The Matrix” trilogy), followed by “The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian” (May 16). The latter appears a box-office lock, but will baby boomers want to relive their childhood via the former?

Summer’s can’t-miss juggernaut arrives May 22 accompanied by the crack of a bullwhip. Any doubts about fan interest in “Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull” got crushed when its trailer was seen more than 200 million times during its first week online, according to Paramount. Sure, star Harrison Ford is in his 60s, but darned if he doesn’t look at least a decade younger.

May wraps with “Sex and the City” (May 30), the ultimate counterprogramming for the month’s action-packed forecast.

June’s lineup may give studio executives, not audiences, a roller-coaster ride. “The Incredible Hulk” (June 13) boasts a terrific leading man (Edward Norton, who co-wrote the script) but a CGI Hulk that looks as artificial as the one who stomped around director Ang Lee’s cursed “Hulk” adaptation.

M. Night Shyamalan tries to shake off his biggest bust, 2006’s “Lady in the Water,” with “The Happening” (June 13), an eco-thriller starring Mark Wahlberg and Zooey Deschanel.

“Wanted” (June 27) offers a gun-slinging Angelina Jolie, which seems a sure thing until one recalls the collective yawn that greeted Miss Jolie’s “Lara Croft Tomb Raider: The Cradle of Life” four summers ago.

“Get Smart” (June 20) finds Steve Carell as the inept secret agent from the ’60s comedy, while the animated “Kung Fu Panda” (June 6) seems destined to baby-sit the nation’s preteens. Pixar’s “Wall-E” (June 27) stands the best chance of reuniting those children with their parents. It’s the tale of a garbage-compacting drone left alone on an uninhabitable Earth circa 2805, and Pixar rarely strikes out.

The month’s surest bet, commercially at least, goes to the new Adam Sandler comedy “You Don’t Mess With the Zohan” (June 6), in which he plays an Israeli soldier-turned-hairstylist. Laugh — or don’t laugh, as is the case too often with Mr. Sandler’s comedies — but it might be the most original premise all summer.

July doubles as a class reunion of sorts, with a new “X-Files” feature, “The X-Files: I Want to Believe” (July 25), and the second coming of Christian Bale as the Caped Crusader. Only time will tell if Heath Ledger’s presence as a zonked-out Joker in “The Dark Knight” (July 18) is too ghoulish given his untimely passing.

Comedy fans can choose from the “Shake ’n’ Bake” re-teaming of Will Ferrell and John C. Reilly in “Step Brothers” (July 25), Eddie Murphy playing a tiny alien in “Meet Dave” (July 11) or the comic musical “Mamma Mia!” starring a singing and dancing Meryl Streep (July 18).

“Hancock” (July 2), another original concept that could get sequelized by summer 2010, stars Will Smith as an alcoholic superhero in dire need of good press.

August usually is where the also-ran blockbusters go to fade away, but this year’s films should reverse that pattern. The latest Judd Apatow comedy, “Pineapple Express” (Aug. 8), promises to out-stoner both Harold and Kumar. “Tropic Thunder” (Aug. 15) features controversial casting (Robert Downey Jr. in blackface), a proven star in Ben Stiller and even a cameo by a fading star, Tom Cruise. “Star Wars: The Clone Wars” (Aug. 15) continues the storied space opera, but with an animated touch.

One film that feels more like an August throw-in is “The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor” (Aug. 1). Expectations should be modest, too, for “Vicky Cristina Barcelona” (Aug. 29), the latest Woody Allen project. Mr. “Annie Hall” brings his neurotic bag of tricks to Spain, where Javier Bardem, Penelope Cruz and Scarlett Johansson do his bidding. Sounds great on paper, but so did many of Mr. Allen’s recent duds.

Finally, August brings Vin Diesel back where he belongs — not changing diapers a la “The Pacifier,” but in a postapocalyptic world. “Babylon A.D.” (Aug. 29) finds Mr. Diesel delivering a special package from Europe to what’s left of New York City.