Fans of sci-fi and horror will find plenty to dribble over in 2008. There’s superhero action galore with the likes of The Dark Knight, The Incredible Hulk and Iron Man; secretive monster fun in Cloverfield; plus new X-Files and Indiana Jones movies, to name but a few. Matt McAllister takes a peek at what we’ll be watching this year…

CLOVERFIELD
Release date: 1 February 2008 (UK); 18 January 2008 (USA)

However good the actual movie turns out to be, Cloverfield will be remembered for generating one of the most successful marketing campaigns of recent years. The initial teaser trailer of an unseen monster wreaking havoc on the Big Apple was electrifying, and it sparked an onslaught of internet rumours that haven’t abated since.

Thanks to the massive level of secrecy surrounding the picture we still don’t know much more than when we first saw the trailer. It’s a monster movie set in New York. It’s produced by JJ Abrams. It’s directed by Matt Reeves (best known for helming The Pallbearer!). And that’s about it.

We’re going to stick our necks out and say that this will be better than Roland Emmerich’s Godzilla.

IRON MAN
Release date: 2 May 2008 (UK & US)

Elf director and Swingers star Jon Favreau helms this long-in-development adaptation of the Marvel comic. Robert Downey Jr. takes centre stage as the scientist who creates a high-tech suit to battle evil-doers. The cast also includes the likes of Gwyneth Paltrow, Terrence Howard and Jeff Bridges.

With expensive FX courtesy of Industrial Light and Magic and the capable hands of Favreau behind it (we’ll overlook Zathura), this one looks a long way from being superhero-action-by-numbers.

INDIANA JONES AND THE KINGDOM OF THE CRYSTAL SKULL
Release date: 22 May 2008 (UK & US)

Finally, it’s here! After years of rumour, counter-rumour and the occasional bare-faced lie, 2008 is the year of the new Indy flick. Harrison Ford returns as the intrepid adventurer, who, having narrowly missed out on bagging The Holy Grail at the end of The Last Crusade, is now attempting to retrieve the Crystal Skull of the title.

OK, so the 60-something Ford isn’t the young whippercracker he once was. But with a supporting cast that includes Shia LaBeouf, Cate Blanchett, Ray Winstone and a returning Karen Allen, plus director Steven Spielberg talking up the film’s 1950s SF influence, there’s every reason to be very excited indeed.

THE INCREDIBLE HULK
Release date: 13 June 2008 (UK & US)

Ang Lee’s 2003 outing for the jolly green giant may have split audiences between those who found it an edgy take on the superhero and those who found it dull, pretentious twaddle, but it’s safe to say that The Incredible Hulk will be a different beast entirely.

Edward Norton is cast in the dual role of Bruce Banner and The Hulk with Tim Roth as monster villain, The Abomination. The movie is directed by Louis Leterrier who showed that he was a dab hand at action (if not complex plots) with the movies Unleashed and Transporter 2.

We’ve got to ask though – could anything ever live up to the late-1970s TV show?

THE DARK KNIGHT
Released: 25 July 2008 (UK); 18 July 2008 (US)

After the gaudy excesses of Batman and Robin, director Christopher Nolan restored both style and credibility to the franchise with 2005’s Batman Begins. Judging by the trailer we’ve seen for The Dark Knight, this one’s going to be even better.

Christian Bale once again squeezes into the Batsuit, and this time he’s up against The Joker. However, this is a very different Joker than we saw in Tim Burton’s Batman, and Heath Ledger’s frankly terrifying take on the character looks as if it could even eclipse Jack Nicholson’s hammy performance.

THE X-FILES 2
Released: 1 August 2008 (UK); 25 July 2008 (US)

Here’s another project to finally arrive after years of scurrilous rumours. Plot details are sketchy at this stage, but David Duchovny and Gillian Anderson are both back on board as the alien-uncovering FBI agents, and the movie also stars Amanda Peet, Xzibit and Billy Connolly. Creator Chris Carter directs.

BOND 22
Released: 7 November 2008 (UK & US)

The latest Bond adventure follows on directly from the excellent Casino Royale, and new casting announcements are being made daily. Joining Daniel Craig so far are St Trinians’ star Gemma Arterton, Ukrainian actress Olga Kurylenko and Mathieu Amalric as the villain of the piece.

The movie is directed by Marc Forster, and his eclectic previous work (including Monster's Ball, Stranger Than Fiction and The Kite Runner) suggests he’ll bring something new to the series.

STAR TREK
Released: 26 December 2008 (UK); 25 December 2008 (US)

After the fairly soporific Insurrection and Nemesis and the lukewarm reception of Enterprise, it’s safe to say that the Star Trek franchise needed a shot in arm. Enter JJ Abrams. The writer/producer/director behind Lost, Alias and Mission: Impossible III could be just the man to bring a sense of cool back to Star Trek, and, despite grumblings on various forums, it sounds promising.

A look back at the early years of the Starfleet heroes, the movie stars Chris Pine as Kirk, Heroes’ Zachary Quinto as Spock and Simon Pegg as Scotty.

And the rest…

ALIENS VS PREDATOR 2: Requiem
Released: UK: 18 January 2008; Out now (US)
The original AVP was a crushing disappointment, but with promises of increased gore and a new Alien-Predator hybrid, this could be big, dumb fun.

THE WATERHORSE: LEGEND OF THE DEEP
Released: 8 February 2008 (UK); Out now (US)
Family fantasy about an egg that grows into a giant sea creature.

JUMPER
Released: 15 February 2008 (UK); 14 February 2008 (US)
Sci-fi adventure about a man who gains the ability to teleport. Directed by The Bourne Identity’s Doug Liman.

ALL THE BOYS LOVE MANDY LANE
Released: 15 February 2008; March 2008 (US, limited release)
Slasher movie about a party that ends in murder.

DIARY OF THE DEAD
Released: 7 March 2008 (UK); 15 February 2008 (US, limited release)
George A. Romero’s latest zombie extravaganza.

THE COTTAGE
Released: 14 March 2008 (UK); TBC (US)
British director Paul Andrew Williams follows up his impressive debut London to Brighton with this comedy-horror.

10,000 B.C.
Released: 14 March 2008 (UK); 7 March 2008 (US)
Roland Emmerich’s prehistoric tale about a mammoth hunter. Unlikely to trouble Oscars, but could be fun.

HORTON HEARS A WHO!
Released: 21 March 2008 (UK); 14 March 2008 (US)
Animated kids’ fantasy based on the Dr Seuss book.

INKHEART
Released: 21 March 2008 (UK); 19 March 2008 (US)
Fantasy about a boy who can bring book characters to life.

THE SPIDERWICK CHRONICLES
Released: 21 March 2008 (UK); 15 February 2008 (US)
Two brothers enter a fantasy world in this family adventure.

ONE MISSED CALL
Released date: 4 April 2008 (UK): Out now (US)
People receive phonecalls from their future selves.

[Rec]
Released: 11 April 2008 (UK); TBC (US)
Spanish horror about a TV reporter and a cameraman trapped inside a building.

A TALE OF TWO SISTERS
Released: 18 April 2008; TBC (US)
U.S. remake of the hit South Korean horror.

PROM NIGHT
Released: 9 May 2008 (UK); 11 April 2008 (US)
Remake of the 1980 slasher movie. It won't be the same without Jamie Lee Curtis disco dancing.

THE RUINS
Released: 9 May 2008 (UK); 4 April 2008 (US)
Something nasty lurks in the jungle in this adaptation of Scott B. Smith’s novel.

STARSHIP DAVE
Released: 30 May 2008 (UK & US)
Tiny aliens pilot a human starship, as played by Eddie Murphy.

THE HAPPENING
Released: 13 June 2008 (UK & US)
New mystery from M. Night Shyamalan. Will there be a twist in the tale?

HANCOCK
Released: 2 July 2008 (UK & US)
Will Smith plays an alcoholic superhero in this comedy from Peter Berg (The Kingdom).

THE CHRONICLES OF NARNIA: PRINCE CASPIAN
Released: 27 June 2008 (UK); 16 May 2008 (US)
2005’s The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe was a rather underwhelming adaptation of the CS Lewis novel. Can Prince Caspian deliver the fantasy goods?

THE MUMMY: TOMB OF THE DRAGON EMPEROR
Released: 8 August 2008 (UK); 1 August 2008 (US)
Brendan Fraser’s back as what some wags might describe as the poor man’s Indiana Jones.

WALL-E
Released: 18 July 2008 (UK); 27 June 2008 (US)
Everyone secretly loves Short Circuit (and, even more secretly, Short Circuit 2), so this animated adventure about a loveable robot should find an audience.

DRAGONBALL
Released: 15 August 2008 (UK & US)
James Marsters stars in this adaptation of the computer game.

HELLBOY 2: THE GOLDEN ARMY
Released: 22 August 2008 (UK); 11 July 2008 (UK)
We love Guillermo Del Toro. We loved Hellboy. And we’re going to love Hellboy 2 dammit!

BABYLON A.D.
Released: 29 August 2008 (UK & US)
Vin Diesel stars in this tale about a cult who want to harvest a genetically modified Messiah. OK, so it sounds awful, but director Mathieu Kassovitz was responsible for one of the greatest French movies of the last 20 years with La Haine, so there’s some hope. Though he also made Gothika.

DEATH RACE
Released: 26 September 2008 (UK & US)
Remake of the 1975 movie about a brutal car race.

QUARANTINED
Released: 24 October 2008 (US); 17 August 2008 (UK)
Rabies breaks out in LA, leaving a band of people trapped in a building.

HARRY POTTER AND THE HALF-BLOOD PRINCE
Released: 21 November 2008 (UK & US)
Latest instalment of wizard magic, directed by Order of the Phoenix’s David Yates.

THE DAY THE EARTH STOOD STILL
Released: TBC (UK); 12 December 2008 (US)
Keanu Reeves stars in this remake of the 50s SF classic. Klaatu barada nikto!