After 1997’s Batman & Robin redefined the word ‘abysmal’, it looked as though it was curtains for the Caped Crusader, until work started on making a gritty, realistic film about the early days of Bruce Wayne’s sideline as a man who dresses like a flying mammal and uses gadgets to catch criminals.

Batman Begins is released in July and promises a return to the character’s dark roots, with Welsh-born Christian Bale under the cowl and a great cast including Katie Holmes, Michael Caine, Gary Oldman, Morgan Freeman and Liam Neeson. Director Christopher Nolan previously made Memento and Insomnia, which were both minor classics, so this could be good. Very good.

Also slated up for a summer release is Ridley Scott’s. Kingdom of Heaven, a sword and sandal epic set during the crusades and features the ex-pirate and elf Orlando Bloom. Given that Scott hit one out of the park with Gladiator, this could be the surprise hit of the year.

However, if you fancy something a little less fantastical then look no further than Kiera Knightley starring in a lavish adaptation of Jane Austin’s Pride and Prejudice. Kiera’s contract for the movie made the then 19 year-old one of Britain’s highest paid actresses, second only to Catherine Zeta Jones. The film will be produced by Working Title Films, responsible for romantic comedies such as Love Actually (which also starred Knightley), Four Weddings and a Funeral and Bridget Jones’ Diary (a modern day adaptation of Pride and Prejudice).

This is the Star Wars film that the fans are waiting for. In May George Lucas unleashes Episode III: Revenge Of The Sith, the last and final part of the most famous space opera ever committed to film. I thought that although he mucked up the first one, the second was ace, so he’d have to be monumentally inept to mess this one up. It’s the birth of Darth Vader, for God’s sake! It’s supposed to be darker, more dramatic and with more action than Episodes I and II combined – surely one not to miss.

It’s always good to see Johnny Depp hamming it up, and this summer he will do exactly that when he stars as Willy Wonka in Tim Burton’s adaptation of Roald Dahl’s Charlie and The Chocolate Factory. Prepare for a treat that hopefully captures the sinister spirit of the original book.

There’s so much being screened this summer I will be very disappointed if any one of you have anything vaguely resembling a sun tan by the Autumn.