Last summer, Spider-Man got rebooted and The Avengers finally assembled, but only after each of the main team members – Iron Man, The Hulk, Thor, and Captain America – each got a movie of their own.
Tony Stark actually got two, and he’ll be back in theatres this summer too. So too will Wolverine, who we’ve seen in a trio of X-Men features and an X-Men Origins story dedicated to his creation as well. Fear not, comic fans, The Wolverine is based on the bad-ass Silver Samurai arc, and should be far better than the “Ryan Reynolds as Deadpool and John Carter as Gambit” junk we got a few years ago.
It’s not just the Marvel library that is being tapped for sequels and prequels and reboots either. DC Comics are getting in on the act too, as Henry Cavill becomes the latest actor to don the blue and red tights as Superman in this summer’s Man of Steel.
For the non-comic book crowd, Phil, Stu, and Alan will be back for The Hangover 3, and another installment of the Fast and Furious franchise will careen into a multitude of multiplexes on May 2-4 weekend as well. A Despicable Me sequel lands in early July, a Monsters Inc. prequel arrives in the middle of June, and Chris Pine’s Captain James Tiberius Kirk helms the Starship Enterprise back onto the big screen in Star Trek Into Darkness at some point this summer as well.
In addition to the sequels, prequels, and remakes, there are a whole slew of adaptations hitting the screen this summer as well.
The Baz Luhrmann (Moulin Rogue!) adaptation of high school English staple The Great Gatsby finally arrives this spring with his the star of his previous literary adaption, Romeo + Juliet, Leonardo DiCaprio, taking on the titular role.
Max Brooks’ World War Z becomes a Brad Pitt zombie vehicle this summer, and the aforementioned Ryan Reynolds get a chance at redemption in R.I.P.D. (Rest in Peace Department), based on the comic book of the same name. There’s also a Lone Ranger movie with Johnny Depp as Tonto, another installment from the Percy Jackson and the Olympians series, and an adaptation of Much Ado About Nothing from a somewhat unlikely source – Avengers director Joss Whedon. Do you notice anything missing from this expansive list of title set to hit theatres this summer? Exciting, intriguing, original products, that’s what’s missing!
It seems there is a startling lack of originality in Hollywood.
E. Spencer Kyte
E. Spencer Kyte is a freelance journalist based in Abbotsford, British Columbia, where he lives with his wife and dog. In addition to his work here, he writes about sports for Complex Canada and covers the UFC for various outlets. His mom also still tells him what to do on a regular basis, even though he’s nearly 40. He tweets from @spencerkyte.
