With the summer season at our heels, the year of great films has only just begun.  Here’s a look at the most promising films of the remaining year that we just can’t wait for. We originally aimed for 10, but there are so many great-looking films releasing that we decided to bump it up to 20.

P.S. – The list will contain movies that look the most promising, not sequels to tired franchises (Resident Evil 4 .. 3D!) or unnecessary sequels in general (Paranormal Activity 2, Sex and the City 2). Also, some films may have already been released elsewhere.

With that, let’s go!

20. The American

Directed By: Anton Corbijn
Starring: George Clooney, Bruce Altman

Plot: Jack (George Clooney) is an artful assassin with a lengthy track record, constantly on the move and always watching his back. When an assignment goes wrong and a lover ends up dead, he vows that the next job will be his last.

Why: In 2009, Clooney had varied films hitting cinemas (‘The Men Who Stare At Goats’, ‘Fantastic Mr. Fox’, ‘Up In The Air’). This year, he only has this one. If you read the plot, you will notice something – Clooney is playing an assassin. If that alone isn’t worth the price of admission, then maybe the bad-ass picture above will convince you. I’ve yet to see a bad film starring Clooney, and this doesn’t look to be it either.

However: The plot itself sounds pretty cliché. How many times do we need to see a story about an assassin deciding to retire but getting pulled back in?

19. Robin Hood

Directed By: Ridley Scott

Starring: Russell Crowe, Cate Blanchett, William Hurt, Matthew Macfadyen, Mark Strong, Oscar Isaac

Plot: Oscar winner Russell Crowe stars as the legendary figure known by generations as “Robin Hood,” whose exploits have endured in popular mythology and ignited the imagination of those who share his spirit of adventure and righteousness. In 13^th century England, Robin and his band of marauders confront corruption in a local village and lead an uprising against the crown that will forever alter the balance of world power. And whether thief or hero, one man from humble beginnings will become an eternal symbol of freedom for his people.

Why: This was almost not going to make our list based on the very first teaser since it came off as nothing but another attempt at ‘Gladiator’. Things changed, however, when the theatrical trailer was released and we got a chance to see the truly epic battles and an intriguing update to the age-old tale.

However: Sadly if there’s one summer movie that looks to be a commercial disappointment, it’s this one thanks to its release in a packed slate.

18. The Twilight Saga: Eclipse

Directed By: David Slade

Starring: Kirsten Stewart, Robert Pattinson, Taylor Lautner

Plot: The third chapter in the “Twilight” franchise. As Seattle is ravaged by a string of mysterious killings and a malicious vampire continues her quest for revenge, Bella once again finds herself surrounded by danger. In the midst of it all, she is forced to choose between her love for Edward and her friendship with Jacob—knowing that her decision has the potential to ignite the ageless struggle between vampire and werewolf. With her graduation quickly approaching, Bella has one more decision to make: life or death. But which is which?

Why: Honestly, I’m a vocally against the whole Twilight phenomenon after the disastrous “New Moon” (though I enjoyed the first film). That said, there’s no reason to get that into the way of putting this film on the list since there’s millions of teenage girls fans that are waiting for this one with bated breath, even though the previous film was released less than six months ago. Plus, the director this time around is David Slade (30 Days of Night) who understands true vampires and there’s a promise to go ‘darker’ with the material.

However: They could just take an about turn and make this even more dull and overlong than ‘New Moon’. And the trailer doesn’t give me too much hope.

17. The Expendables

Directed by: Sylvester Stallone

Starring: Sylvester Stallone, Jason Statham, Jet Li, Dolph Lundgren, Eric Roberts, Randy Couture, Steve Austin, David Zayas, Giselle Itié, Terry Crews, Mickey Rourke, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Brittany Murphy, Charisma Carpenter, Liam Hemsworth, Gary Daniels

Plot: A hard-hitting action/thriller about a group of mercenaries hired to infiltrate a South American country and overthrow its ruthless dictator. Once the mission begins, the men realize things aren’t quite as they appear, finding themselves caught in a dangerous web of deceit and betrayal. With their mission thwarted and an innocent life in danger, the men struggle with an even tougher challenge – one that threatens to destroy this band of brothers.

Why: Look a long and hard look at the cast list there. Then try to come up with a reason to deny that this doesn’t have potential to be the ultimate guy film. Stallone has a great track record with satisfying his target audience (every male in the world). And the great amount of talent here is there to help.

However: Van Damme refused to do the film apparently because Stallone didn’t care about characters in the film at all. Is that a sign of a very generic and heartless film?

16. The Sorcerer’s Apprentice

Directed by: Jon Turteltaub

Starring: Nicolas Cage, Jay Baruchel, Teresa Palmer, Alfred Molina, Toby Kebbell, Monica Bellucci

Plot: “The Sorcerer’s Apprentice” takes place in contemporary New York, where a wizard (Nicolas Cage) searches for an apprentice (Jay Baruchel).

Why: Has anyone seen the trailer? I’m not a huge fan of the ‘National Treasure’ movies and this is the same team, but the amazing visuals and special effects in the teaser puts this on the map. The setting is unique, Baruchel looks charming, and the movie all around looks surprisingly polished. And Nicolas Cage finally looks bad-ass in a role.

However: We’re still talking about Nicolas Cage here. That guy has a penchant to do some very bad movies of late (Bangkok Dangerous, Wickerman) and although we don’t want to jinx it, this could still be one.