MAY

IRON MAN: One of the more popular characters in the Marvel universe, Iron Man has been a comic mainstay since the early 1960s. A regular, if rich, guy given superhero skills by a suit of high-tech armor, he battles baddies and his own demons. Robert Downey Jr. plays the man of literal steel in this adaptation. May 2.

SPEED RACER: Based on one of the original Japanese animation imports, Speed Racer, directed by the brothers Wachowski (The Matrix), appears to be the candy-coated equivalent of a live-action cartoon. The story is Speed Racer standard -- the improbably named Speed Racer (Emile Hirsch) must hold off lead-footed enemies while winning the big race. Go, Speed Racer, go. May 9 .

INDIANA JONES AND THE KINGDOM OF THE CRYSTAL SKULL: It has been nearly 30 years since Indiana Jones first cracked that whip. His long-awaited return, according to Internet rumors, either finds him rifling around Area 51, searching for the Fountain of Youth or looking for the lost city of El Dorado. The great thing about Indy movies is that it doesn't really matter. It's the ride, not the destination, that keeps fans coming back. May 22.

JUNE

THE INCREDIBLE HULK: Despite a disappointing attempt to bring one of the great comic characters to the screen a few years ago, studios still clearly see green in this franchise. This complete reboot stars Edward Norton as the mild-mannered scientist you don't want to get angry and Tim Roth is his nemesis. June 13.

WALL-E: How is it that the masterminds at Pixar (Toy Story, The Incredibles) haven't applied their genius to the time-honored genre of robotic space-opera romance? Better late than never, I suppose. The title refers to a little robot left on Earth as a one-machine cleaning crew. June 27.

JULY

HANCOCK: Yet another superhero movie? Only sort of. Will Smith plays disgruntled superhero Hancock, whose bad attitude has led to a public relation crisis. Mr. Smith traditionally owns the Independence Day weekend, and Hancock looks like an attempt to continue that trend. July 4.

HELLBOY II: THE GOLDEN ARMY: Part comic book adaptation and part ode to pulp-fiction forefather H.P. Lovecraft, this sequel has the demon hero fiercely battling invading hordes from the usually unseen world of myths and monsters. July 11.

JOURNEY TO THE CENTER OF THE EARTH 3D: It could be argued that French author Jules Verne all but invented pulp fiction. His fantasy novels revolved around heroic explorers reaching for new worlds, whether at the bottom of the sea, on the moon or, in the case of the source material for this 3-D feature, the center of the Earth. Expect to see more films exploiting new 3-D technologies in a similar fashion. July 11.

THE DARK KNIGHT: Only Superman has ever really been able to give Batman a run for his money in terms of comic-book popularity and importance. Although much has been made of the late Heath Ledger's Joker in this film, it should be pointed out that the guy in the cape and cowl also returns. July 18.

AUGUST

THE MUMMY: TOMB OF THE DRAGON EMPEROR: Wow. Brendan Fraser, who also appears in Journey to the Center of the Earth 3D, has been really busy. He reprises his Mummy role as a reluctant hero, this time taking the undead action to China. Michelle Yeoh, Jet Li and Maria Bello co-star. Aug. 1.

STAR WARS: THE CLONE WARS: Originally envisioned as a television series, this animated film picks up somewhere between Episodes II and III. Like Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, another George Lucas project, Clone takes its stylistic cues from classic pulp serials and dime-an-issue science fiction comics. Aug. 15.

Reach Steven Uhles at (706) 823-3626 or steven.uhles@augustachronicle.com