By Kam Williams

Gwenyth Paltrow stars in “Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow,” coming to theaters in September.

Boasting more originals than retreads, sequels or adaptations, this motley mix includes an above-average number of remakes, such as “Vanity Fair,” “Shall We Dance,” “Alfie” and “The Flight of the Phoenix.” It has some sequels, like “Resident Evil: Apocalypse” and the “Seed of Chucky,” but at least we get a brief respite from any of those franchise-extending, take-the-money-and-run prequels.

September

“Vanity Fair” (9/1) Reese Witherspoon stars in the seventh screen version of the William Makepeace Thackeray novel, set in London in the 1820s, about a poor girl’s attempt to enter high society.

“The Cookout” (9/3) Ghetto-meets-suburbia comedy about a black pro basketball player (Quran Pender) who invites both his homeys and new neighbors to a barbecue in his upscale, suburban ’hood. With Queen Latifah, Ja Rule, Eve, Farrah Fawcett and Danny Glover.

“Paparazzi” (9/3) Revenge thriller about a movie star (Cole Hauser) who hatches a plot against the four photographers who caused the car accident that injured his wife (Robin Tunney) and young son (Blake Bryan). With cameos by Mel Gibson, Chris Rock, Vince Vaughn and Matthew McConaughey.

“Wicker Park” (9/3) This version of the Hitchcockian French thriller “L’Appartement” features Josh Hartnett as an investment banker who moves back to Chicago and dumps his fiancee’ (Jessica Pare) in order to track down the long-lost love (Diane Kruger) who broke his heart years ago.

“Cellular” (9/10) Kim Basinger stars in this crime thriller as a distraught kidnap victim who enlists the assistance of the stranger (Chris Evans) she mistakenly calls on his cell phone.

“Resident Evil: Apocalypse” (9/10) High body-count, sci-fi horror sequel pits survivors of virus outbreak against those infected inhabitants of Raccoon City who have been turned by the biochemical disaster into a race of bloodthirsty zombies. Cast includes Milla Jovovich, Mike Epps and Oded Fehr.

“Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow” (9/17) Action adventure, set in 1939, stars Gwyneth Palrow as a New York City newspaper reporter who teams up with a pilot ex-boyfriend (Jude Law) to solve the mystery of the disappearance of the world’s leading scientists.

“Wimbledon” (9/17) Romantic comedy about a washed-up tennis pro (Paul Bettany) who makes the most of his last shot at glory while falling for the rising star (Kirsten Dunst) of the female circuit.

“First Daughter” (9/24) “Chasing Liberty”-lite. Katie Holmes vehicle about a U.S. president’s (Michael Keaton) independent-minded teenager who falls for the undercover Secret Service agent (Marc Blucas) she doesn’t know has been assigned to shadow her every move at college.

“The Forgotten” (9/24) Sci-fi thriller with Julianne Moore as a bewildered single mom who hooks up with an equally frustrated father (Dominic West) to find the missing children they suspect might have been abducted by aliens but who their shrinks say never existed.

“Mr. 3000” (9/24) Bernie Mack handles the title role in a comedy about a retired baseball star who decides to come out of retirement after a revision of his lifetime stats leaves him a few hits short of greatness. Angela Bassett co-stars as a sports reporter-turned-love interest.

October

“Shark Tale” (10/1) Undersea Mafia animated adventure about a bragging bottom feeder (Will Smith) who claims to be the shark-slayer who killed the son of a mob boss (Robert De Niro) only to learn that pretending can lead to trouble.

“Saw” (10/1) Harrowing horror flick about two men trapped with a body in the lair of a deranged serial killer known as Jigsaw. With Danny Glover as the detective with only hours to crack the case.

“I Am David” (10/8) Historical drama, based on Anne Holm’s classic Danish novel, chronicles the ordeal of a 12 year-old boy (Ben Tibber) who heads for Denmark after escaping from a Communist concentration camp in Bulgaria in 1952 with only a loaf of bread, a compass, and a letter he’s intent on delivering.

“Ladder 49” (10/8) Flashback drama about a firefighter (Joaquin Phoenix) trapped in a burning building whose life passes before his eyes while he patiently waits to see if his comrades can save him before he is consumed by the conflagration. With John Travolta and Morris Chestnut.

“Raise Your Voice” (10/8) Coming-of-age melodrama with Hilary Duff as a sheltered, small town teen who decides to study performing arts in Los Angeles for the summer after her brother dies in a freak car accident.

“A Sound of Thunder” (10/8) A futuristic sci-fi adventure about big-game hunters who travel back in time to hunt dinosaurs only to learn upon their return to the present that they’ve altered the course of history in a way that threatens all of humanity with extinction.

“Taxi” (10/8) This unlikely buddy comedy pairs a trash-talking cabbie (Queen Latifah) with a rookie cop (Jimmy Fallon) for some outrageous hijinks as they set out to solve a string of recent burglaries.

“Friday Night Lights” (10/15) Billy Bob Thornton and Derek Luke co-star in this high school football feature based on H.G. Bissinger’s best-selling book that recounted the 1988 season exploits of the Permian Panthers from economically-ravaged Odessa Texas.

“Shall We Dance” (10/15) Remake of the 1996 Japanese-language hit about a bored accountant whose marriage gets inadvertently revitalized when he secretly signs up for lessons with the attractive, young dance teacher he has admired from afar. Here, Richard Gere plays the jaded, middle-aged student opposite Jennifer Lopez. Cast also includes Susan Sarandon, Stanley Tucci and Nick Cannon.

“Team America: World Police” (10/15) “South Park’s” Trey Parker and Matt Stone supply the bulk of the voicework in this animated adventure about a band of superhero marionettes out to eradicate terrorism and annoying celebrities.

“The Underclassmen” (10/15) Action comedy with Nick Cannon as a detective undercover at an upscale prep school to infiltrate an international stolen car ring. With Kelly Hu and Cheech Marin.

“Alfie” (10/22) Remake of the 1966 classic replaces Michael Caine with Jude Law as the carefree playboy whose  womanizing ways might come to an end after one of his girlfriends ends up pregnant.

“The Flight of the Phoenix” (10/22) Remake of the 1965, black-and-white ensemble piece with Jimmy Stewart, Ernest Borgnine, Peter Finch, Richard Attenborough and disaster flick staple George Kennedy. This colorized update offers Dennis Quad as the captain of an ill-fated cargo plane that crashes in the Mongolian Desert, where passengers and crew get on each other’s nerves while toiling to repair the damaged aircraft.

“Seed of Chucky” (10/22) This fifth installment in the horror comedy series, a sequel to “Bride of Chucky” (Brad Dourif), introduces Glen (Billy Boyd), the demon offspring of sicko serial killer dolls, Chucky and Tiffany (Jennifer Tilly).

“Surviving Christmas” (10/22) Pre-seasonal comedy with Ben Stiller as a just-dumped record exec who asks the family now living in his childhood home to let him move in for the holidays.

“The Grudge” (10/22) Halloween screamfest starring Sarah Michelle Gellar as a nurse working in Tokyo where a supernatural, easily-spread virus has been unleashed that sends its victims into an uncontrollable, fatal rage.

“Ray” (10/29) Jamie Foxx disappears into the title role in this bio-pic based on the life of legendary blues singer Ray Charles. With Regina King, Terrence Howard, Kerry Washington, Larenz Tate and Aunjanue Ellis.

“Eulogy” (10/29) Dark comedy about three generations of relatives who come together for the funeral of the family patriarch. Ensemble cast includes Ray Romano, Famke Janssen, Piper Laurie, Debra Winger, Rip Torn, Kelly Preston, Hank Azaria, Jesse Bradford and Zooey Deschanel.