The calendar still says spring, but for Hollywood, the summer movie season starts this weekend. “Iron Man” debuts, with a unlikely cast. “Would you ever think that a popcorn super-hero action movie would have Robert Downey, Jr., Gwyneth Paltrow, Jeff Bridges in it, but it sounds really interesting because of the interesting casting,” noted Dave Karger of Entertainment Weekly. Casting Heath Leader in the role of The Joker had already stirred up lots of interest for the Batman sequel “The Dark Knight”, but the actor’s death could spike interest to make the sequel a bigger hit than the original.

Edward Norton also joins the super hero ranks this summer. He plays the alter ego of “The Incredible Hulk” in a big budget do-over. It comes just a few years after another “Hulk” movie starring Eric Bana flopped. While most of these super heroes are guys to be cheered, Will Smith plays one who’s jeered in “Hancock”. Still, it’s not just super heroes this summer. There’s romance with “Sex and the City”, TV spinoffs with “Get Smart”, and comedy with Ben Stiller in “Tropic Thunder”.

Also on the docket is the movie adaptation of the broadway hit “Mamma Mia!” featuring Pierce Brosnan and Meryl Streep. By summer’s end, it’s expected that a familiar face will rule the summer box office. Harrison Ford returns in “Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull”. He’s reunited with Steven Spielberg and George Lucas for the latest Indy installment. Also coming up this summer are sequels to “The Chronicles of Narnia”, “The Mummy” and “The X-Files”.