Familiar fare freshens up

By Susan Wloszczyna, USA TODAY
Given Hollywood's recycling addiction, déjà-viewing is more rampant than ever. So USA TODAY issues a challenge to the filmmakers behind seven of 2007's most-anticipated family-friendly sequels and films spun from stage and TV: Tell us what is fresh and different this time around.
Spider-Man 3

Opens: May 4.

Stars: Tobey Maguire, Kirsten Dunst, James Franco

Plot: No more Mr. Nice Spidey

What's new? A black alien organism called a symbiote bonds with Spider-Man's suit and infects his psyche, says director Sam Raimi. As a result, Peter Parker is one twisted mister. "Peter falls prey to the sin of pride. He is full of himself and becomes overconfident and rageful." The evil Spider-Man also fights dirty against one of three new villains, Sandman (Sideways' Thomas Haden Church), driven by increased strength and new powers. "He can swing farther, jump higher, hear better," Raimi says.

Shrek the Third

Opens: May 18.

Stars: Voices of Mike Myers, Cameron Diaz, Justin Timberlake, Eric Idle, Eddie Murphy

Plot: The ogre who wouldn't be king

What's new? Cameron Diaz and Justin Timberlake, together again — vocally, at least. If that isn't enough, producer (and voice of the Big Bad Wolf) Aron Warner says there's a hint of Spamalot in this third helping of fairy-tale foolery when Shrek and friends hunt down the young Arthur (Timberlake) and call upon Monty Pythonite Eric Idle's Merlin for help. "Merlin, who is an ex-teacher, is pretty whacked out. He has been banished to the woods, but it isn't clear why. Something about incidents of magic gone awry." One case of unfocused hocus-pocus causes friendly foes Donkey and Puss in Boots to change personalities.

Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End

Opens: May 25.

Stars: Johnny Depp, Keira Knightley, Orlando Bloom, Chow Yun-Fat

Plot: It's the yo-ho-ho gang against that old squid puss, Davy Jones, and the weaselly Lord Beckett.

What's new? In this third chapter, a Hong Kong man of action fattens the pirate ranks. And a Stone rolls by. "Chow Yun-Fat's character, Captain Sao Feng, is very interesting," says producer Jerry Bruckheimer of the addition of a Singaporean buccaneer. "No one is sure what his allegiances are, to save the pirates or team up with Beckett, who now has Davy Jones' heart and controls him. He butts heads with everyone." As for the long-awaited cameo of Keith Richards as Captain Teague, Jack Sparrow's papa and source of his gypsy-on-acid fashion sense? "He's fantastic. Very sexy."

Evan Almighty

Opens: June 22.

Stars: Steve Carell, Lauren Graham, Wanda Sykes

Plot: A Noah for globally warmed times

What's new? In the Bruce Almighty sequel, God tells Steve Carell's politico to build an ark, and his life becomes a zoo. "We shot more animals for this movie than any other movie in the history of show business," proclaims director Tom Shadyac. How does he know? "Because we have one of the most renowned animal trainers in movie history, Mark Forbes, and he says so. We wanted as many real animals as possible in the foreground, hundreds upon hundreds." The massive menagerie includes everything from bears and wolves to lions and giraffes.

Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix

Opens: July 13.

Stars: Daniel Radcliffe, Rupert Grint, Emma Watson, Helena Bonham Carter

Plot: Dark forces attempt a Hogwarts takeover.

What's new? "The cast is growing older, film by film, and the audience is growing with them," says David Yates, director of No. 5. "That's what is beautiful with Harry Potter. Our story is the most emotionally complex one so far." That includes Harry's first kiss, shared with fellow wizard-in-training Cho Chang (Katie Leung). Yates assures that the film "has all of the whiz-bang whistles and bells as well. We have centaurs, half-men and half-horse. A backwoods giant baby and Hagrid's half-brother, Grawp. And some beautiful, hypnotic thestrals that are only seen when someone has died."

The Simpsons Movie

Opens: July 27.

Stars: Dan Castellaneta, Julie Kavner; Nancy Cartwright, Yeardley Smith

Plot: Who knows, but early slapstick-heavy trailers suggest Homer gets a hammering.

What's new? Few secrets are better guarded than the first film based on the 18-year-old animated series. But we got the raucous cartoon clan's overseers to talk — and not say much. "One of the things I said to myself when we started this is, 'Please, God, let us be able to give you the things you love in the show and not venture too far uptown,' " says JamesL. Brooks, a writer and executive producer. "But our animators have always dreamed of having this kind of scope to work with." Adds creator Matt Groening: "The film is paced differently and more emotional than the series, but with a lot of big sight gags as well. It's an animation tour de force with sequences that we can't do on TV because we don't have the time." Bottom line: "If you don't really know the show, you will be fine. If you do, you will love it more."