There are some good upcoming movies in 2012, but the movie industry seems to be doing lots of prequels and sequels to previous movies.  However, some are original somewhat and others are simply derivative.  With the economy still tight, perhaps a movie with an established audience lends itself to the same audience…or not.

Fairy Tales Retold

Jack the Giant Killer.  This movie is a retelling of Jack and the Beanstalk, and the  preview of the movie looks fairly decent.  With Bryan Singer as the director, this movie deems to be a satisfying action-adventure minimally.  It stars Nicholas Hoult, Stanley Tucci and Ewan McGregor.

Mirror, Mirror.  This is the first of two films that are retelling the Snow White fable.  From the preview, it’s a bit folksy, but it does have star power.  This movie is directed by Tarsem Singh who also directed the Immortals.  This drama stars Lily Collins, Julia Roberts and Armie Hammer.

Snow White and the Huntsman.  And this is the second film that retells the Snow White fable.  This one seems to be the grittier and have better special effects.  Rupert Sanders is the movie’s director.  This movie stars Kristen Stewart, Chris Hemsworth and Charlize Theron.

Heroes: Sequels and Prequels

The Dark Knight Rises. This movie is the conclusion to director Christopher Nolan‘s Batman trilogy.  With both Bane and Catwoman to contend with, this last part of the trilogy seemingly will go out with a bang.  Christian Bale will reprise his role as Batman for one last time, and it stars Gary Oldman, Tom Hardy, Anne Hathaway, Morgan Freeman and Michael Caine among the list of actors.  This movie should be the big summer box office hit.

The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey.  This movie is the prequel to the director Peter Jackson’s lengthy Lord of the Rings trilogy, and this is the first part of the two-part prequel.  Again, Peter Jackson will direct both parts, and again, he brings back most of the cast of the previous trilogy.  This movie will star Cate Blanchett, Luke Evans, Elijah Wood, Martin Freeman, Ian McKellan and others once again.  This movie should become winter’s big box office hit.

Men in Black 3. This movie is the sequel to the previous box office hits, and this movie should serve as the appetizer to The Dark Knight Rises.  Again, Barry Sonnenfeld is the director as he was the previous two.  And again, Will Smith and Tommy Lee Jones will reprise their roles as agents for the Men in Black.  This movie should get above-average box office numbers.

Marvel’s The Avengers.  This movie is technically the sequel to Iron Man, Captain America: The First Avenger, The Incredible Hulk and Thor, and it is also its own movie series perhaps in the future.  This movie is directed by Joss Whedon.  Again, Robert Downey, Jr., Chris Hemsworth, and Chris Evans will reprise their roles as Iron Man, Thor and Captain America respectively.  However, there will be a new Hulk and an even newer Hawkeye.  They will be played by Mark Ruffalo and Jeremy Renner respectively.

Expendables 2. This movie is the sequel to the original action hit The Expendables. This movie is directed by Simon West.  And again, Sylvester Stallone, Bruce Willis, and Jet Li.  Some significant former action stars will join this movie as well.  Arnold Schwartzenegger, Jean-Claude Van Damme, and Chuck Norris to name three. This movie should be a solid action hit.

Underworld: Awakening.  Underworld resurfaces, and it will show in the United States in mid-January.  This movie is directed by Mars Marlind and Bjorn Stein.  Kate Beckinsale reprises her role as Selene.

G.I. Joe: Retaliation.  The movie is the sequel to G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra from 2009.  This movie is directed by Jon M. Chu and stars Dwayne Johnson and Bruce Willis. Channing Tatum will reprise his role as Captain Duke Hauser.  From the trailer, the special effects are revisited, and the movie seems very pulpy.

Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance. This movie is the sequel to Ghost Rider from 2007.  The directors of the movie are Mark Neveldine and Brian Taylor.  Again, Nicholas Cage will reprise his role as Johnny Blaze/Ghost Rider.  With the campiness of Cage’s recent films, I can expect no better from this one.

Reboots

The Three Stooges.  This is a reboot sort of.  Despite all the new Stooges, it seems to pay homage to the original Three Stooges pretty well.  The directors are Bobby Farrelly and Peter Farrelly.  Chris Diamantopulos, Sean Hayes and Will Sasso will play Moe, Larry and Curly respectively. At best, this movie may be a cult comedy, and at worst, it will be a cult stoner film.

21 Jump Street. This movie is a reboot of the television series of the same name from 1987.  The directors of this film are Phil Lord and Chris Miller. This movie stars Jonah Hill, Channing Tatum, Ice Cube and Johnny Depp.  This movie doesn’t look too good, but ugliness is in the eye of the beholder.