Spidey, Harry Potter and Shrek lead a familiar pack of Hollywood films, writes David Germain You'd think that there isn't an original idea in Hollywood with all the sequels, spinoffs and remakes that are crowding the 2004 movie lineup.

　　Yet fans are not likely to complain, considering the savory characters featured in this year's many retreads, which include about two dozen sequels, prequels and at least a dozen updates of old movies or TV shows. The three heavy hitters will arrive in quick succession, during the busy summer season. ``Shrek 2'' premieres in May, as the animated ogre with the Scottish brogue (again voiced by Mike Myers) accompanies his princess bride Fiona (Cameron Diaz) to meet her parents, with their pal Donkey (Eddie Murphy) along for the ride. Julie Andrews and John Cleese join the voice cast as Shrek's disapproving in-laws, and Antonio Banderas provides the voice of crafty cat Puss-in-Boots. ``Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban'' debuts in June, with author J.K. Rowling's boy sorcerer (Daniel Radcliffe) and his chums (Rupert Grint and Emma Watson) in their third year at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. This time, the gang faces an escaped convict (Gary Oldman) who's coming after Harry for mysterious reasons. Michael Gambon replaces the late Richard Harris as wise headmaster Dumbledore. ``Spider-Man 2,'' opening over the Fourth of July holiday weekend, reunites director Sam Raimi with Marvel Comics' anxious-teen-turned-superhero Peter Parker (Tobey Maguire), girl-next-door Mary Jane Watson (Kirsten Dunst) and Peter's pal Harry Osborn (James Franco). Now a college student, webmaster Peter battles new super-villain Otto Octavius (Alfred Molina), who has been transformed into the tentacled ``Doc Ock.'' While most sequels ratchet up the action, Raimi chose to ratchet up the moral and personal dilemmas and private quandaries that set ``Spider-Man'' apart from many Hollywood franchises and helped turn it into a US$400-million mega-hit. ``The next one is going to seem a little smaller and more intimate. I hope people are not hoping it's bigger and better. Hopefully, they'll think it's smaller and better,'' Raimi said. ``I really turned the film inward on the characters, since it seems like that's what the audience responded to in the first film. So we focused on developing the characters to the next level, and the actors have taken the performances, all of them, up a notch.'' The sequel picks up two years after ``Spider-Man,'' which ended with Peter turning his back on his great love, Mary Jane, realizing it was a sacrifice he had to make to travel the high road with his superpowers. ``It's about the growth of a boy into a man. Really, a simple coming-of-age story. This boy just happens to be one bitten by a radioactive spider,'' Raimi said. ``Harry Potter'' fans who want to see every detail from the books translated into the screen versions might be uneasy over the projected length of ``Prisoner of Azkaban.'' Director Alfonso Cuaron expects to bring the movie in at less than 2 hours, the shortest of the series so far and well under the nearly three-hour running time of the last installment, ``Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets.'' Cuaron signed on for ``Harry Potter'' after making the racy Spanish-language hit ``Y Tu Mama Tambien.'' He hesitated initially, wondering if it was a good idea to leap into blockbuster country, where every frame would be under the microscope of a profit-minded studio and an eager but finicky audience. Helping to put the filmmaker on the Hogwart's Express was a remark from a friend, who told him, ``in serving Harry Potter, you may do the best film of your career,'' Cuaron said. ``It turned out to be probably the most free experience I ever had in a studio movie.'' On the other hand, Andrew Adamson felt a bit artistically constricted on ``Shrek 2.'' A co-director on both ``Shrek'' movies, Adamson felt that he and his collaborators wrapped up the 2001 original too neatly, making it tougher to develop the sequel. Adamson's main beef: He wishes they had not let Shrek and Fiona marry at the end of the first film. The filmmakers could have strung out the romantic mayhem in the sequel if the two had yet to tie the knot, Adamson said. While the filmmakers had not been thinking sequel on the first ``Shrek,'' they have left more leeway to continue the story after the new installment, he added. ``This time at least, we're preparing for it. We're trying not to make the same mistakes,'' Adamson said. ``In the first movie, Shrek learned he could be lovable to some degree. This movie, he learns how to love, and at some point, he needs to learn to love himself. So there is still more to be told about these characters. They still have room to go.'' This year's non-sequel and non-remake highlights include a ``Wedding Singer'' reunion for Adam Sandler and Drew Barrymore in the romance ``50 First Dates;'' Tom Cruise as a hitman in ``Collateral;'' Kurt Russell in ``Miracle,'' the story of the 1980 US Olympic hockey team; Gene Hackman as an ex-president running for mayor in ``Welcome to Mooseport;'' the end-of-the-world thriller ``The Day After Tomorrow,'' with Dennis Quaid; Nicole Kidman's ``The Interpreter,'' a tale of United Nations intrigue; Tom Hanks and Steven Spielberg reteaming for the drama ``The Terminal;'' and Will Smith in the sci-fi adventure ``I, Robot.'' Among the year's other sequels: Ice Cube, Cedric the Entertainer and pals return in ``Barbershop 2: Back in Business,'' which co-stars Queen Latifah, who gets her own spinoff, ``Beauty Shop;'' ``The Princess Diaries 2: Royal Engagement,'' with Anne Hathaway and grandma Julie Andrews on a hubby hunt; ``Kill Bill Vol 2,'' the conclusion to Uma Thurman and Quentin Tarantino's vengeance saga; and Renee Zellweger's return to romantic misadventures in ``Bridget Jones: The Edge of Reason.'' With ``Ocean's Twelve,'' George Clooney reprises the title role from the heist hit ``Ocean's Eleven,'' a remake of the Frank Sinatra flick. Among other remakes and adaptations: Nicole Kidman in the comic thriller ``The Stepford Wives,'' about a town of oddly obedient women; Ben Stiller and Owen Wilson as cop partners in ``Starsky & Hutch,'' updated from the 1970s TV show; Tom Hanks in the Coen brothers' retelling of ``The Ladykillers,'' about a gang of inept crooks; The Rock as a take-no-prisoners sheriff in ``Walking Tall;'' ``Flight of the Phoenix,'' starring Dennis Quaid in the story of crash survivors scavenging their wrecked plane to build a new one; ``Van Helsing,'' a new take on the ``Dracula'' saga, featuring Hugh Jackman; ``Dirty Dancing: Havana Nights,'' which transplants the romance to 1950s Cuba; Richard Gere, Jennifer Lopez and Susan Sarandon in ``Shall We Dance,'' based on the Japanese film; and ``Dawn of the Dead,'' with Ving Rhames and Sarah Polley among survivors in a world of undead zombies. Other movies, while not straightforward remakes, mine familiar territory. Hilary Duff's ``A Cinderella Story'' gives a modern twist to the fairytale as a downtrodden stepdaughter who meets her prince online then leaves behind her cell phone rather than a slipper for him to track her down. Jennifer Garner does the child-in-an-adult-body thing a la ``Big'' in ``13 Going on 30,'' about a teenager who wishes for a new life and suddenly finds herself stuck in the body of her grown-up self. Writer-actress Nia Vardalos follows up her surprise blockbuster ``My Big Fat Greek Wedding'' with ``Connie and Carla,'' a romance that carries shades of the cross-dressing comedies ``Some Like It Hot,'' ``Tootsie'' and ``Victor/Victoria.'' ``Connie and Carla'' stars Vardalos, Toni Collette and David Duchovny in the tale of two female musical-theater singers who witness a murder and hide out from mobsters by posing as drag queens -- ``women dressed as men dressed as women,'' Vardalos said. The success of the low-budget ``Greek Wedding'' has landed Vardalos in the middle of big-money Hollywood. The music budget alone on ``Connie and Carla'' equaled the entire US$5 million cost of making ``Greek Wedding,'' Vardalos said. Sky-high expectations often trip up newly minted stars on their first follow-up to a major hit. But Vardalos figures she's already taken that tumble with the failed TV adaptation ``My Big Fat Greek Life.'' ``I'm not worried about the sophomore jinx. That already hit me with the TV show,'' Vardalos said. ``I'm now in my junior year, and I feel great.'' (The Associated Press) Highlights Hollywood's 2004 film slate Note: many films do not yet have specific release dates, some remain untitled and studio schedules are subject to change; for films that have specific dates, the month of release is noted in parentheses * Winter and spring ``Against the Ropes'' -- Meg Ryan manages a potential boxing champ (Omar Epps). The directing debut of actor Charles S. Dutton. (February) ``Agent Cody Banks 2: Destination London'' -- The junior spy (Frankie Muniz) goes undercover to retrieve a mind-control device. (March) ``Barbershop 2: Back in Business'' -- Ice Cube and his gang of haircutters hold court again. Queen Latifah co-stars. (February) ``The Big Bounce'' -- A drifter (Owen Wilson) is seduced by a vixen into shady dealings in a remake of the 1969 flick. (January) ``Breakin' All the Rules'' -- Dumped by his fiancee, a man (Jamie Foxx) writes a best seller on ending relationships. (April) ``Broken Lizard's Club Dread'' -- The comedy troupe behind ``Super Troopers'' heads to a boozy island resort, where visitors start getting bumped off. (February) ``The Butterfly Effect'' -- Ashton Kutcher as a man who learns he can undo the past, but unravels his present in the process. (January) ``Catch That Kid'' -- Three kids plan a daring bank robbery, but all for a good cause. (February) ``Confessions of a Teenage Drama Queen'' -- Lindsay Lohan as a malcontent uprooted from New York City to New Jersey. (April) ``Connie and Carla'' -- Writer-actress Nia Vardalos co-stars with Toni Collette and David Duchovny in a comedy about two women disguised as drag queens to hide from the mob. (April) ``Dawn of the Dead'' -- Flesh-munching zombies walk again in an update of the cult horror tale about a global plague. With Ving Rhames and Sarah Polley. (March) ``Dirty Dancing: Havana Nights'' -- The 1987 hit gets an update as a good-girl American teen is drawn to a slinky dancer in the 1950s Cuba. (February) ``Dogville'' -- Lars von Trier's harrowing experimental film stars Nicole Kidman as a fugitive initially welcomed -- then subjugated -- by a mountain community. (March) ``The Dreamers'' -- Bernardo Bertolucci spins a drama of French siblings and a visiting American student during 1968's turbulent youth movement. (March) ``Ella Enchanted'' -- Anne Hathaway as a fairytale doormat -- a girl in a magical land who's cursed by absolute obedience. (April) ``Envy'' -- Best buddies (Ben Stiller and Jack Black) wind up at odds after one of them strikes it rich on a crackpot invention. Barry Levinson directs. (April) ``Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind'' -- A trip through the mind of a man (Jim Carrey) seeking to have memories of his girlfriend erased. With Kate Winslet. (March) ``Eurotrip'' -- A young man enlists his friends on a farcical journey across Europe to meet his cyber pen pal. (February) ``50 First Dates'' -- A ``Wedding Singer'' reunion. Adam Sandler and Drew Barrymore in a romance between a smitten man and a woman who loses her memory each day. (February) ``The Girl Next Door'' -- A youth (Emile Hirsch) falls for a seemingly ideal neighbor (Elisha Cuthbert), then learns she's an ex-porn star. (March) ``Godsend'' -- A boy cloned from a dead son undergoes terrifying changes as he ages. Robert De Niro, Greg Kinnear and Rebecca Romijn-Stamos star. (April) ``Hellboy'' -- A comic-book adaptation about superheroes with paranormal powers battling a deranged villain. With Ron Perlman, John Hurt and Selma Blair. (April) ``Hidalgo'' -- An ex-cowboy (Viggo Mortensen) becomes the first American in a horse race across the Arabian Desert. (March) ``Home on the Range'' -- Disney's animated musical features the voices of Roseanne Barr, Judi Dench and Cuba Gooding Jr as farm animals battling an outlaw. (April) ``Intermission'' -- Colin Farrell as a street thug in an ensemble black comedy that follows a group of offbeat Irish folk. (March) ``Jersey Girl'' -- Ben Affleck and Jennifer Lopez hope for a better result than ``Gigli'' with Kevin Smith's tale of a single father. (March) ``Johnson Family Vacation'' -- Cedric the Entertainer and Vanessa Williams take the family on a road trip of misadventures. (April) ``Kill Bill Vol 2'' -- Uma Thurman resumes her bloody mission in the conclusion to Quentin Tarantino's saga of a vengeful assassin. (February) ``The Ladykillers'' -- Tom Hanks headlines the Coen brothers' remake of the Alec Guinness comedy about a band of bumbling crooks. (March) ``Laws of Attraction'' -- Two divorce attorneys (Julianne Moore and Pierce Brosnan) who have seen the worst of love take a stab at marriage. (April) ``Man on Fire'' -- A jaded mercenary (Denzel Washington) goes ballistic over the kidnapping of a child (Dakota Fanning) he was hired to protect. (April) ``Mean Girls'' -- It's culture shock for a teen (Lindsay Lohan) raised in the African hinterlands when she enrolls in a US high school. (April) ``Miracle'' -- Kurt Russell as coach of the US hockey team in its upset win over the former Soviet Union at the 1980 Olympics. (February) ``Ned Kelly'' -- Heath Ledger as the Australian outlaw folk hero. With Naomi Watts and Geoffrey Rush. (March) ``Never Die Alone'' -- DMX and David Arquette in a story of a criminal reflecting on his life through audio tapes left behind after his death. (March) ``The Passion of Christ'' -- Jim Caviezel is Jesus and Monica Bellucci is Mary Magdalene in Mel Gibson's retelling of Christ's last few hours. (February) ``The Perfect Score'' -- Six students plot to steal the SAT exam. With Scarlett Johansson and Erika Christensen. (January) ``The Prince & Me'' -- It's medical school or life as Denmark's queen when a student (Julia Stiles) falls for the crown prince. (March) ``The Punisher'' -- Adaptation of the comic book about an avenging angel (Thomas Jane), who battles super-villain John Travolta. (April) ``The Reckoning'' -- A rebel priest (Paul Bettany) and an acting troupe stage a performance to solve a murder in 14th-century England. With Willem Dafoe. (March) ``The Saddest Music in the World'' -- A dark comedy about a Depression-era beer baroness (Isabella Rossellini) who holds a contest to find the world's saddest tunes. (April) ``Saved!'' -- Mandy Moore and Jena Malone in a comedy about a girl ostracized at her Christian school after she becomes pregnant. (April) ``Scooby-Doo 2: Monsters Unleashed'' -- The goofy Great Dane and pals battle a masked villain. With Freddie Prinze Jr and Sarah Michelle Gellar. (March) ``Secret Window'' -- A writer (Johnny Depp) is menaced by a nutcase (John Turturro) who accuses the author of stealing his story. Based on a Stephen King novella. (April) ``Spartan'' -- David Mamet's latest stars Val Kilmer and Derek Luke as special-ops officers tracking an abductee. (March) ``Starsky & Hutch'' -- The 1970s cop show gets a makeover, with Ben Stiller and Owen Wilson as mismatched partners. (March) ``Taking Lives'' -- Angelina Jolie's an FBI profiler hunting a killer who may be swiping his victims' identities. With Ethan Hawke and Kiefer Sutherland. (March) ``13 Going on 30'' -- Jennifer Garner in a tale of a 13-year-old who wishes for a new life and suddenly finds herself all grown up. (April) ``Twisted'' -- A cop (Ashley Judd) tracking a serial killer becomes the prime suspect. With Samuel L. Jackson and Andy Garcia. (February) ``Walking Tall'' -- The Rock in a remake of the 1973 flick about an ex-soldier who's elected hometown sheriff and cleans up the crime-ridden burgh. (April) ``Welcome to Mooseport'' -- Gene Hackman as a former US president running for local mayor against a plumber (Ray Romano). ``The Whole Ten Yards'' -- Bruce Willis, Matthew Perry and Amanda Peet reunite in this follow-up to the hit man comedy ``The Whole Nine Yards.'' (April) ``Win a Date with Tad Hamilton!'' -- A grocery clerk (Kate Bosworth) wins a night out with a bad-boy screen idol. Nathan Lane co-stars. (January) ``You Got Served'' -- A band of street dancers faces a showdown with a rival town's best hoofers. The cast includes singer Lil' Kim. (January) * Summer season ``Alien vs Predator'' -- The two sci-fi monsters, together at last, locked in mortal combat in Antarctica. (August) ``Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy'' -- A chauvinistic 1970s TV newsman (Will Ferrell) feuds with a feminist colleague (Christina Applegate). (July) ``Baadasssss!'' -- Mario Van Peebles directs and stars as his dad, Melvin, in his quest to make the landmark black-power flick ``Sweet Sweetback's Baad Asssss Song.'' (May) ``Because of Winn-Dixie'' -- The life of a lonely girl is turned around when she adopts a big, goofy stray dog. Adapted from the children's novel. (August) ``Blade: Trinity'' -- Wesley Snipes is back as the half-vampire comic-book hero, who's framed for murder in a plot involving the king of the bloodsuckers, Dracula. (August) ``The Bourne Supremacy'' -- Matt Damon's amnesiac assassin from ``The Bourne Identity'' battles on as he tries to piece together his memories. (July) ``Catwoman'' -- Halle Berry is an artist who gains feline-esque power and agility in this spinoff of DC Comics' ``Batman.'' (July) ``Cheer Up'' -- A gruff lawman (Tommy Lee Jones) goes undercover as a coach to protect cheerleaders who witnessed a murder. (July) ``The Chronicles of Riddick'' -- Vin Diesel's sci-fi anti-hero from ``Pitch Black'' returns to take on an interstellar overlord. (June) ``A Cinderella Story'' -- Hilary Duff updates the fairytale, leaving behind her cell phone instead of a slipper for her prince charming to find. (July) ``Code 46'' -- Tim Robbins and Samantha Morton in a futuristic romance in a world where travel is severely restricted. (August) ``Coffee and Cigarettes'' -- Jim Jarmusch's collection of short encounters over coffee features Bill Murray, Cate Blanchett and Tom Waits. (May) ``Collateral'' -- Tom Cruise in a thriller about a hit man who hijacks a taxi for a one-night round of killings. Michael Mann directs. ``The Day after Tomorrow'' -- Earth is pummeled by climatic disasters in a doomsday tale from ``Independence Day'' director Roland Emmerich. With Dennis Quaid. (May) ``De-Lovely'' -- Kevin Kline plays songwriter Cole Porter as he reflects on his grand past. Ashley Judd co-stars. (July) ``Eulogy'' -- Secrets come to light during a family patriarch's funeral. The comedy features Zooey Deschanel, Debra Winger, Ray Romano and Piper Laurie. (May) ``Garfield'' -- Bill Murray's the voice of the comic-strip fat cat in a live-action and computer-animation combo. (June) ``Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban'' -- Year three at wizard school for the boy sorcerer (Daniel Radcliffe), who tussles with a dangerous escapee (Gary Oldman). (June) ``I, Robot'' -- A detective (Will Smith) investigates a crime he thinks was committed by a robot. Based on Isaac Asimov's sci-fi story collection. (July) ``I'll Sleep When I'm Dead'' -- Clive Owen reteams with ``Croupier'' director Mike Hodges for a thriller about an ex-crook looking into his brother's death. (June) ``Mr 3000'' -- Bernie Mac's a vain ex-ballplayer trying a comeback to pick up the three hits he needs to assure his Hall of Fame invite. (May) ``New York Minute'' -- The twins play hooky as Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen play feuding sisters on a chaotic day trip to New York City. (May) ``The Notebook'' -- A past romance is intercut with a man's visits to a woman at a nursing home. With James Garner, Gena Rowlands and Joan Allen. (July) ``The Princess Diaries 2: Royal Engagement'' -- Julie Andrews, Anne Hathaway and director Garry Marshall continue their regal tale as Princess Mia hunts for a hubby. (July) ``Shall We Dance'' -- Richard Gere, Jennifer Lopez and Susan Sarandon in a remake of the Japanese hit about a businessman's budding passion for ballroom dancing. (July) ``Shrek 2'' -- The big green guy, donkey and princess return in a not-so-happily-ever-after sequel. Mike Myers, Eddie Murphy and Cameron Diaz provide voices again. (May) ``Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow'' -- Jude Law, Gwyneth Paltrow and Angelina Jolie try to foil a plot to destroy Earth. (June) ``A Slipping Down Life'' -- A wallflower (Lili Taylor) comes out of her shell in a relationship with a brooding musician (Guy Pearce). Based on Anne Tyler's novel. (May) ``Soul Plane'' -- A black man wins a huge settlement from an airline and starts his own funky air service. (May) ``Sound of Thunder'' -- Edward Burns and Ben Kingsley in a time-travel tale about a prehistoric safari that threatens humanity's future. From a Ray Bradbury short story. (August) ``Spider-Man 2'' -- Our hero (Tobey Maguire) battles tentacled villain Doc Ock (Alfred Molina). Director Sam Raimi and co-stars Kirsten Dunst and James Franco return. (July) ``The Terminal'' -- Tom Hanks and Steven Spielberg reunite for the story of an Eastern European stuck in Kennedy Airport after a coup back home invalidates his passport. Catherine Zeta-Jones co-stars. (June) ``Thunderbirds'' -- A live-action adaptation of the 1960s cult TV puppet series about ace sci-fi rescue pilots. With Bill Paxton. (August) ``Troy'' -- The Greeks and Trojans mix it up, with Brad Pitt as mythic warrior Achilles. Wolfgang Petersen directs. (May) ``Two Brothers'' -- Guy Pearce in the story of tiger cubs separated in youth and reunited as enemies years later. (July) ``Untitled Dodgeball Comedy'' -- A gang of misfits enter a dodgeball showdown to save a local gym from demolition. With Ben Stiller and Vince Vaughn. (June) ``Van Helsing'' -- ``Dracula'' hunter Van Helsing (Hugh Jackman) teams with a woman (Kate Beckinsale) to slay the vampire. Stephen Sommers (``The Mummy'') directs. (May) ``The Village'' -- Filmmaker M. Night Shyamalan reunites with his ``Signs'' co-star Joaquin Phoenix for a horror tale about a town isolated in an evil forest. (July) ``White Chicks'' -- FBI agents (Shawn and Marlon Wayans) go undercover as society gals in a kidnapping investigation. Keenen Ivory Wayans directs. (June) ``Yu-Gi-Oh!'' -- The Japanese cartoon TV show about a boy superhero comes to the big screen. (August) * Fall and holidays ``After the Sunset'' -- Pierce Brosnan, Salma Hayek and Woody Harrelson in a cat-and-mouse thriller about thieves who encounter an old FBI foe. (November) ``Alexander'' -- Oliver Stone spins the tale of the ancient world's great conqueror (Colin Farrell). Angelina Jolie and Anthony Hopkins co-star. (November) ``Andrew Lloyd Webber's the Phantom of the Opera'' -- Joel Schumacher directs the musical adaptation about a disfigured madman (Gerard Butler) terrorizing Paris. (December) ``The Aviator'' -- Martin Scorsese and his ``Gangs of New York'' star Leonardo DiCaprio reteam for a Howard Hughes film biography. (December) ``Bridget Jones: The Edge of Reason'' -- The honeymoon's over for Bridget (Renee Zellweger), who faces compatibility issues with her man (Colin Firth). (December) ``Cinderella Man'' -- Russell Crowe reunites with ``A Beautiful Mind'' director Ron Howard for the story of Depression-era boxer Jim Braddock. Renee Zellweger co-stars. (December) ``Closer'' -- Julia Roberts in director Mike Nichols' tale of passion and betrayal among two couples. With Jude Law, Natalie Portman and Clive Owen. (December) ``Constantine'' -- Keanu Reeves and Rachel Weisz tour an underworld of demons and angels in the adaptation of the comic book. (September) ``Flight of the Phoenix'' -- A remake of the 1965 James Stewart tale about crash survivors who build a new plane from the old one's wreckage. With Dennis Quaid. (November) ``The Forgotten'' -- Julianne Moore in a thriller about a woman who may have deluded herself into believing in a young son she never had. (September) ``The Incredibles'' -- Pixar Animation follows ``Finding Nemo'' with the tale of a retired agent itching to get back in the spy game. (November) ``The Interpreter'' -- Nicole Kidman as a UN translator who overhears a conversation that could cost her life. Sydney Pollack directs. (November) ``J.M. Barrie's Neverland'' -- Johnny Depp as the creator of the children's classic ``Peter Pan.'' Dustin Hoffman and Kate Winslet co-star. (October) ``Last First Kiss'' -- Will Smith as a matchmaker who organizes clients' first dates to create good first impressions. (November) ``Lemony Snicket's a Series of Unfortunate Events'' -- Jim Carrey's a dastardly villain in a family flick adapted from the children's best sellers. (December) ``Little Black Book'' -- A reporter (Brittany Murphy) gets more than she bargained for when she examines her boyfriend's romantic past. ``Meet the Fockers'' -- The ``Meet the Parents'' gang returns as Robert De Niro, Ben Stiller and director Jay Roach spin more hijinks of clashing in-laws. (December) ``Ocean's Twelve'' -- George Clooney, Brad Pitt, Matt Damon and the ``Ocean's Eleven'' gang return for another heist. Steven Soderbergh directs again. (December) ``The Polar Express'' -- Tom Hanks is lead voice in an animated Christmas tale based on the children's book about a train to the North Pole. Robert Zemeckis directs. (November) ``Resident Evil: Apocalypse'' -- Milla Jovovich fights zombies again in a sequel to the video-game horror adaptation. (October) ``The Ring 2'' -- The horror sequel about a reporter (Naomi Watts) who uncovered the secret of a video tape whose viewers die horribly. (November) ``Shark Tale'' -- Will Smith, Robert De Niro and Renee Zellweger provide voices in the animated story of a fish whose fib lands him in hot water. (October) ``The Son of the Mask'' -- The son of a cartoonist (Jamie Kennedy) stumbles onto the transforming face-wear from 1994's hit ``The Mask.'' (October) ``Spanglish'' -- Adam Sandler in a culture-clash comedy about an American family that takes in a Mexican beauty as housekeeper. James L. Brooks directs. (December) ``The Spongebob Squarepants Movie'' -- The little bottomfeeder from Nickelodeon's TV cartoon soaks in the big-screen limelight. (November) ``Taxi'' -- Queen Latifah as a master cabbie who helps a cop (Jimmy Fallon) track down a gang of female bank robbers. (October) ``An Unfinished Life'' -- Robert Redford as a rancher whose self-imposed seclusion is broken by the arrival of his daughter-in-law (Jennifer Lopez). (December) ``Wimbledon'' -- A Wimbledon longshot (Paul Bettany) falls for a US tennis star (Kirsten Dunst), who inspires him to a winning run at the tournament. (September) * Dates to be determined ``Beauty Shop'' -- Queen Latifah gets her own hair parlor in this spinoff of the ``Barbershop'' franchise. ``Be Cool'' -- John Travolta's back as ``Get Shorty'' slick talker Chili Palmer, who abandons Hollywood for the music business. ``Birth'' -- A widow (Nicole Kidman) who's about to remarry meets a boy who says he's her reincarnated husband. ``Cellular'' -- A man's only clue to finding a kidnapped stranger is a wrong number received on his cell phone. With Kim Basinger. ``The Clearing'' -- Robert Redford as a rich guy negotiating for his life with a kidnapper (Willem Dafoe). Helen Mirren co-stars. ``Coach Carter'' -- Samuel L. Jackson in the real-life story of a high school coach who benched his entire basketball team for lousy school grades. ``First Daughter'' -- Katie Holmes as a freshman aiming for normal college life despite her dad, who's the US president (Michael Keaton). ``Hide and Seek'' -- A widower (Robert De Niro) copes with his young daughter's menacing imaginary friend. Dakota Fanning co-stars. ``I Heart Huckabees'' -- Dustin Hoffman, Lily Tomlin, Jude Law, Naomi Watts and Mark Wahlberg in an ensemble comedy from David O. Russell (``Three Kings''). ``Kinsey'' -- Liam Neeson plays pioneering sexuality researcher Alfred Kinsey. Laura Linney co-stars. ``Mr and Mrs Smith'' -- Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie as married assassins whose new assignment is to snuff each other. ``Sideways'' -- Buddies (Paul Giamatti and Thomas Haden Church) go on a spree just before one of them is to wed. Alexander Payne (``About Schmidt'') directs. ``Sleepover'' -- Alexa Vega (``Spy Kids'') leads her friends on an all-night scavenger hunt during a sleepover. ``Stay'' -- Ewan McGregor and Naomi Watts in a thriller about a shrink's patient whose insane predictions start coming true. ``Suspect Zero'' -- An FBI agent (Aaron Eckhart) is hurled into a psychological murder mystery. Ben Kingsley and Carrie-Anne Moss co-star. ``Swimming Upstream'' -- An Australian youth's swimming prowess eases his unhappy home life. With Geoffrey Rush and Judy Davis. ``Tristan and Isolde'' -- Ridley and Tony Scott produce an adaptation of the Medieval legend of star-crossed lovers. ``Untitled Charles Shyer Project'' -- Jude Law in an update of Michael Caine's ``Alfie,'' about a womanizer who comes to doubt his philandering ways. ``Vanity Fair'' -- Reese Witherspoon in an update of William Makepeace Thackeray's tale of a London social climber. Mira Nair directs. ``A Way Through the Woods'' -- A couple's picture-perfect marriage is put to the test by outside forces. With Emily Watson, Tom Wilkinson and Rupert Everett. ``Wicker Park'' -- A man (Josh Hartnett) who catches a glimpse of his vanished lover begins a quest to find her. ``Without a Paddle'' -- Three pals blunder through the wilderness on a treasure hunt. With Seth Green, Matthew Lillard and Burt Reynolds as a crazy old mountain man. ``The Woods'' -- A student (Agnes Bruckner) suffers terrifying visions as classmates at a remote boarding school disappear. Patricia Clarkson co-stars. ``Woody Allen Project'' -- The writer-director's as-yet untitled flick stars Will Ferrell, Radha Mitchell and Chloe Sevigny. (From left) Emma Watson as Hermione Granger, Daniel Radcliffe as Harry Potter, David Thewlis as Professor Lupin, Gary Oldman as Sirius Black and Rupert Grint (back to camera) as Ron Weasley appear in a scene from ``Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban,'' in this undated publicity photo. The third movie in the series, it will open in June. Characters from the animated sequel ``Shrek 2'' appear in a scene from the film in this undated publicity photo. Shrek (left), voiced by Mike Meyers, holds Puss-in-Boots, voiced by Antonio Banderas, while Donkey, voiced by Eddie Murphy, watches. -- AP