Sarah Jessica Parker and her gal pals are back in Sex and the City 2. / Craig Blankenhorn, New Line Productions
Mark Wahlberg and Will Ferrell play mismatched cops in The Other Guys. / Macall Polay, Columbia Pictures
Russell Crowe gallops into summer with his take on the legendary Robin Hood. / Kerry Brown, Universal Studios
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It's almost that time of year: to escape the heat for a nice, cool theater and hot summer blockbuster. Here's a sneak peek at the major movies expected to generate the most sizzle this summer:
Sequels are back, again
Hollywood franchises put the fast-food business to shame, and no sequel is more anticipated this year than Iron Man 2 (May 7), which reunites Robert Downey Jr. and Gwyneth Paltrow. This time, our cover gal Scarlett Johansson joins the cast in a catsuit as the slinky Black Widow, along with menacing Mickey Rourke playing the villainous Whiplash.
If action heroes in flying metal suits isn't your cup of iced tea, check out Sex and the City 2 (May 27), which reunites New York's favorite best friends. For fangirls, Robert Pattinson is back in vampire mode in The Twilight Saga: Eclipse (June 30).
Action packs movie theaters
It wouldn't be a Hollywood summer without high-speed chases, explosions and a splash of violence. Director Ridley Scott and Russell Crowe do their best Gladiator impression with Robin Hood (May 14), which promises to stay close to the traditional Sherwood Forest mythology.
A popular action-packed video game series gets its first movie with Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time (May 28), in which a buff Jake Gyllenhaal suits up with swords and sandals.
Supernatural moviemaker M. Night Shyamalan switches to action-fantasy with The Last Airbender (July 2), a live-action adaptation of the popular Nickelodeon cartoon.
Forget about summer vacation: Angelina Jolie took a two-year break from the big screen. Now, she spices up summer as a federal agent on the run in Salt (July 23).
Buff pyrotechnic film vet Sylvester Stallone suffered a hairline neck fracture while making the testosterone-heavy explosion flick The Expendables (Aug. 13). The movie boasts plenty more machismo, with Bruce Willis and Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, in a rare movie appearance.
'80s classics get a makeover
Nothing dies in Hollywood -- it's just 're-imagined.' And that's how you get a remake of The Karate Kid (June 11), which initially infuriated fans when they heard this Jackie Chan/Jaden Smith redo would be called The Kung Fu Kid. But Sony came to its senses and returned to the original title. Wax on!
Love campy '80s TV? Well, you're in luck: The A-Team (June 11) arrives with Ultimate Fighting Champion Quinton 'Rampage' Jackson as B.A. Baracus. Bradley Cooper, Liam Neeson and District 9's Sharlto Copley round out the squad.
'Toons tickle funny bones
What's summer without wildly popular animated movies? Some of 2010's biggest are on the way. Shrek Forever After (May 21), possibly the last sequel, is one of more than a dozen 3D movies out this year.
Pixar tries for its 11th straight No. 1 hit with a 3D Toy Story 3 (June 18), which reunites original stars Tom Hanks as Woody and Tim Allen as Buzz Lightyear.
Grown-up comedies get laughs
Adam Sandler, a summer presence as regular as gnats, is back with Grown Ups (June 25), about reuniting childhood friends. He'll square off at the box office with Tom Cruise and Cameron Diaz, who star in Knight and Day (June 25).
And after last year's disastrous Land of the Lost, Will Ferrell could use a laugh in the cop comedy The Other Guys (Aug. 6).
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