Reboots

“Conan the Barbarian”
Director Marcus Nispel, recently known for remaking horror classics like “The Texas Chainsaw Massacre,” brings this tale of vengeance back to the silver screen. Unlike the original Schwarzenegger film, the remake’s main cast is relatively obscure — although Ron Perlman and Rose McGowan are part of the full cast. The story of Conan has been around since the 1930s, so actor Jason Momoa has big shoes to fill. But with a director trained in horror, Lionsgate as its producer and 3-D technology at its disposal, the 2011 “Conan” can probably promise a flashier, gorier revenge story than any of the previous incarnations.

“Rise of the Planet of the Apes”
This film marks the sixth “Planet of the Apes” film — not to mention two TV series in the 1970s — but it seems that America can’t get enough of simian dystopia. Being a morality play about whether or not humans deserve to be the dominant species on Earth, this story, based on Pierre Boulle’s novel, is always relevant. And the 2011 version bettered its chances of success by attracting an extremely trendy cast, including James Franco, Freida Pinto (“Slumdog Millionaire”), Andy Serkis (“The Lord of the Rings”) and Tom Felton, fresh off the now-completed “Harry Potter” franchise. They’ll contend with the primate threat this August.

“Don’t Be Afraid of the Dark”
Remaking a 1973 made-for-TV horror movie is somewhat more surprising than these other reboots, but with a genius like Guillermo del Toro at the helm, the choice is more intriguing than troubling. If there’s one thing he loves to do, it’s frighten children. In this case, that child is Bailee Madison, the precocious young actress from 2009’s “Brothers.” Along with Katie Holmes and Guy Pearce, she’ll face a house inhabited by shadowy, malevolent creatures and an audience with high expectations. An enigmatic trailer heightens the excitement surrounding “Don’t Be Afraid of the Dark” even more.

“Winnie the Pooh”
A trailer featuring Keane’s “Somewhere Only We Know” makes it clear that “Pooh” means to capitalize on its audience’s nostalgia. By going back to traditional animation in a world of CGI, this reboot is likely to do just that. It marks only the fourth time that Disney has produced a sequel to a film from its Animated Classics collection, so the stakes will be high. Can Disney make a sequel that rivals its 1977 classic? It’s going to try, and it’s going to bait the indie crowd with a soundtrack including songs by She & Him.

“The Smurfs”
Its choice to use a mixture of CGI and live-action aside, “Smurfs” wins the award for most mind-bogglingly bizarre cast on this list: trendy cuties like Neil Patrick Harris and Jayma Mays; comedians like Kenan Thompson, Jeff Foxworthy and George Lopez; dependable eccentrics Hank Azaria and Alan Cumming; and a couple of wild cards — Pee-Wee Herman himself, Paul Reubens and Katy Perry. What exactly Columbia Pictures has set out to accomplish with these little blue creatures is unclear, but with a trailer full of innuendoes and a tagline like “Smurf Happens,” it definitely gets points for going the fascinatingly crazy direction.