Claw Power

7 JAMES BOND
Some fans are questioning the Bond-worthiness of the latest James, Daniel Craig, whose blue eyes and blond locks seem like an odd fit. But a great teaser for this fall's Casino Royale is raising hopes, and the film's reported grittier, updated look could help revive the creatively tired but still very financially viable franchise.

8 JIGSAW
sure, the Saw movies are kinda cheesy and feature hilariously bad acting (MVP award goes to the original's Cary Elwes). They're also incredibly lucrative given their tiny budgets: Saw made $55 million, while Saw II improved with $87 million. Jigsaw, the film's villain, has the potential to become this decade's Freddy Krueger. Let's just hope execs at Lionsgate learn from Krueger's ill-advised foray into 3-D.

9 BART SIMPSON
Though ratings for The Simpsons have declined over the years (it now reaches about 9.1 million viewers a week), the long-awaited Simpsons movie will finally hit theaters in July 2007. With a script that has been in the works for at least two years, the flick will feature the entire cast (plus guest vocals by Albert Brooks and Minnie Driver) and a story written by 11 veteran Simpsons scribes.

10 MADEA
Actor-director Tyler Perry's trash-talking senior citizen has become the most profitable drag role since Robin Williams in Mrs. Doubtfire. Diary of a Mad Black Woman and Madea's Family Reunion pulled in $50.4 million and $63.2 million, tapping into an urban niche market already familiar with a character that Perry had introduced in touring Madea plays. Note to Vicki Lawrence: It might be time to pitch that Mama's Family movie.

Other Power Players

RISING

Superman Based on the beautiful trailer and optimistic prerelease buzz, director Bryan Singer's upcoming Superman Returns will likely inspire renewed Man of Steel mania.

Batman After two awful Joel Schumacher installments, the Bat brand was saved by director Christopher Nolan's Batman Begins, which scored both with critics and audiences. Now another Nolan Bat movie is in the works.

IN FLUX

Darth Vader Videogame spin-offs are successful and a possible animated TV show is intriguing, but due to the last three films and seemingly endless ''definitive'' DVDs, Vader's force is no longer a given.

Hannibal Lecter Red Dragon wasn't as memorable (or successful) as Silence of the Lambsor Hannibal. In the upcoming Young Hannibal, can newcomer Gaspard Ulliel match Anthony Hopkins' bite?

FALLING

Jason Voorhees Producer Michael Bay is behind yet another Friday the 13th film (the 12th). Jason's already gone to hell and to outer space. Why can't he just go away?

Ethan Hunt His next impossible task might be persuading a studio to make M:I-4. This summer's Mission: Impossible III will be happy to hit $150 million, a disappointment after M:I-2's $200 million domestic gross.