Free Time: Summer Sequels Promise Big Box Office

Thanks to the return of Spider-Man, Shrek and Sparrow, this summer's movie offerings are likely to produce some big green for box office coffers across the nation.

The great thing is, the three films featuring the beloved characters -- "Spider-Man 3," "Shrek the Third" and "Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End" -- represent only a few of the major offerings as the blockbuster movie season kicks into high gear next month. Here's a preview of the movies hitting theaters in May and June.

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May

--Peter Parker/Spider-Man (Tobey Maguire) is back and facing three bad guys, appropriately, in "Spider-Man 3" (May 4). This time he faces Sandman (Thomas Haden Church), Venom (Topher Grace) and the New Goblin (James Franco), aka the vengeful son of the late Green Goblin. Worse yet, Parker has a battle brewing with the dark side of his web-slinging alter ego.

Sam Raimi is directing his third consecutive "Spider-Man" film, which features the return of Kirsten Dunst as Mary Jane and the debut of Bryce Dallas Howard as Gwen Stacy.

--Drew Barrymore and Eric Bana are going to need some huge luck going head-to-head with "Spider-Man 3" with "Lucky You" (May 4) a comedy-drama about a big-shot poker player (Bana) looking to beat the odds and his personal demons at the World Series of Poker in Las Vegas. Robert Duvall co-stars.

--If the virus horror thriller "28 Days Later" wasn't enough to fray your nerves, you'll be happy to know that director Danny Boyle is ready to deliver another shocking jolt to the systems with "28 Weeks Later" (May 11) The sequel finds a city of survivors facing a new threat -- a person mistakenly admitted to the new population.

--Larry the Cable guy and his fellow blue-collar comedian Bill Engvall hope to git 'er done with "Delta Farce" (May 11), a war movie spoof that finds three Army reservists accidentally dropped in a Mexican village en route to Iraq.

--Shrek is back, and not so lean but still green in "Shrek the Third" (May 18). Mike Myers again voices Shrek, the lovable ogre who suddenly finds himself in line to rule the kingdom in Far, Far Away land. Cameron Diaz is also back as Princess Fiona, as are Eddie Murphy (Donkey), Antonio Banderas (Puss-in-Boots), and Diaz's ex-boyfriend, Justin Timblerlake, joins the cast as Artie, King Harold's rebellious nephew.

--Will Turner (Orlando Bloom), Elizabeth Swann (Keira Knightley) and Captain Barbosa (Geoffrey Rush), travel to world's end to rescue the bumbling Capt. Jack Sparrow (Johnny Depp), and call upon the world's most fearsome pirate lords to defeat the menacing Davy Jones (Bill Nighy) in "Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End" (May 25).

The action-adventure also stars Chow-Yun Fat as the fearsome Chinese pirate captain, Sao Feng, and Rolling Stone Keith Richards as Sparrow's dad.

June

--Kevin Costner shows his dark side with "Mr. Brooks" (June 1), a psychological thriller about a successful businessman (Costner) struggling with his murderous alter ego. Demi Moore, William Hurt, Marg Helgenberger and comedian Dane Cook co-star.

--Setting sail for the third time are Danny Ocean (George Clooney) and his crew for "Ocean's Thirteen" (June 8).

Al Pacino joins the cast as ruthless casino owner Willy Banks (Al Pacino), who becomes the target of the group's biggest heist yet after he double-crosses one of Ocean's men. Steven Soderbergh is back at the helm with another big cast, including Brad Pitt, Matt Damon, Bernie Mac, Elliott Gould, Ellen Barkin, Andy Garcia and Don Cheadle.

--The first family of superheroes -- Mr. Fantastic (Ioan Gruffudd), the Invisible Woman (Jessica Alba), The Human Torch (Chris Evans) and The Thing (Michael Chiklis) -- is back and hangin' 10 for another big-screen adventure with "Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer."

In addition to the Silver Surfer, the film also promises an appearance by the planet-eating bad guy Galactus. Back in the fold is Julian McMahon as "Dr. Doom."

--An iconic teen detective takes a leap from the small to the big screen with Emma Roberts -- Eric's daughter and Julia's niece --with "Nancy Drew" (June 15). This adventure finds Drew in Los Angeles for the first time, where she takes on a long-unsolved case involving a movie star's mysterious death.

--Steve Carell, who played the bumbling newsman Evan Baxter in Jim Carrey's "Bruce Almighty," is back and has God's power at his fingertips in "Evan Almighty" (June 22). Now a congressman, Baxter is given the task by God (Morgan Freeman) to build an ark in anticipation of the great flood.

--Angelina Jolie acts in, and her companion Brad Pitt produces "A Mighty Heart" (June 22), based on the tragic story of slain Wall Street Journal reporter Daniel Pearl. The story surrounds Mariane Pearl (Jolie), who frantically tries to find her husband (Dan Futterman) after he is kidnapped in Pakistan.

--Bruce Willis gives the "Die Hard" franchise new life with "Live Free or Die Hard" (June 27). This time, Willis' John McClane takes on an Internet-based terrorist organization that is dismantling the U.S. infrastructure through cyberspace.

--"The Incredibles" director Brad Bird journeys to Paris with "Ratatouille" (June 29), where a young rat longs to become a chef in a popular French bistro. The problem is, the restaurant's staff and patrons hate rats.