Tough guys Indiana Jones and John Rambo come back to the big screen this year.And they’ll be battling the Sex and The City girls, a famous young wizard and a kung-fu loving panda for box office supremacy.

It’s not going to be a pretty fight - the action stars are both in their sixties - but it will be one of the main events of what is shaping up to be a bumper year at the cinema.

A very excited Time Out looks ahead to the most enticing films of 2008.

Returning heroes seem to be a theme at the cinema for 2008. Harrison Ford squeezing into Indy’s leather trousers and hat for Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull has the hallmarks of being a (whip)cracking highlight. It is almost twenty years since we last saw everybody’s favourite movie archeologist and we’re crossing our fingers and digging out our fedoras in anticipation.

Here’s Harrison taking a breather on set during the filming of Crystal Skull. Still as effortlessly cool as ever.

The Steven Spielberg directed film has a burden of expectation unlike the return of Sylvester Stallone’s Rambo. Obviously nobody told Sly about the new breed of action hero because he has written and directed a comeback for Rocky’s ex-army alter-ego. Lets hope the formula has been updated since the Razzie-winning Rambo III.

One action hero that has been brought bang up-to-date is James Bond. Daniel Craig triumphed in Casino Royale and has signed up for the next installment. Number 22 in the long-running series. All we know so far is that it will be released around about November and Judi Dench will be coming back as M.

If you like your heroes a little more fantastical there will be plenty to get your comics in a twist about. Batman, The Incredible Hulk and Hellboy all come back to cinemas.Christian Bale will be on bat-duty again and has the delights of facing up against Heath Ledger (as a perfect looking Joker) in The Dark Knight. Edward Norton will be bulking up to play The Incredible Hulk (with a generous amount of CGI we presume) while Ron Perlman returns for Hellboy II.

Throw into the mix Hancock starring a crime fighting Will Smith, Prince Caspian swashbuckling his way through Narnia (ably assisted by Liam Neeson as the voice of Aslan the lion) and a the pre-historic epic 10,000BC and its clear there will be a lot of very happy fantasy fans in the next twelve months.

Chat rooms are already burning up at the prospect of three sci-fi favourites on our screens this year. Captain Kirk and his gang continue their voyage in Star Trek XI, David Duchovny investigates the paranormal (and his miraculously disappearing career) in X-Files 2 and Hayden Christinsen (the young Darth Vader) takes a hop and a skip through time and space in Jumper.

That’s before we even mention the small matter of the next installment of the Harry Potter series. Daniel Radcliffe and co. romp their way through sixth form at Hogwarts for Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince next November.

There will be more book to film conversions in the shape of How to Lose Friends and Alienate People (with Simon Pegg taking on the role of the increasingly unpopular Toby Young) and Love in the Time of Cholera (Mike Newell takes the helm for the Gabriel Garcia Marquez adaptation). Plus Emma Thompson treads familiar territory as Brideshead gets revisited again.

Keira Knightley proves herself to be as fond as Thompson is of wearing corsets with two more historical dramas. Expect rave reviews and many hurrahs for the British cinema industry as she pouts her way through The Duchess and The Edge of Love.

But there can be only one highlight in the costume drama department - Johnny Depp warbling his way through the musical crime thriller (not the most over-populated of genres) Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street. The king of quirk shows his Midas touch by reportedly acing his song and dance numbers.

It is unusual to see Hollywood stars singing and dancing but its exactly that which makes legends of Bollywood actors. This year will be busier than ever for Bollywood’s brightest stars.

Most interesting of all will be the Big B starrer Aladdin and The Mystery Lamp. Amitabh Bachchan will be taking on the role of the Genie opposite Ritesh Deshmukh and Sanjay Dutt. The ever busy Bachchan will also be starring in the ghostly Bhootnath and The Last Lear. But is opposite his son Abhishek in the eagerly awaited Sarkaar Raaj that the family connection will be strongest.

Moving outside the family Bachchan and the star quality doesn’t dim much. Shah Rukh Khan and Sushmita Sen will be making sweet music in the romantic comedy Dulha Mil Gaya and the boys from Golmaal will be making a welcome return for a slapstick sequel. And they will be joined by Kareena Kapur.

Kareena also stars in Roadside Rodeo. A movie that could take Bollywood in a new direction it sees her team up with Saif Ali Khan and Disney animators for a Bollywood-style cartoon. Sounds intriguing.

But for ultimate intrigue it isn’t possible to beat Kung Fu Panda. Not only does this Hollywood cartoon it boast the best title since Snakes on a Plane, the stellar cast (Jack Black, Jackie Chan, Dustin Hoffman, Lucy Liu, Angelina Jolie, Ben Stiller, Will Smith, Chris Rock and Ian Mcshane) is bursting at the seems with quality. It is about a kung fu fighting panda (obviously!. Get a sneak preview here:

We can’t wait to see the full movie and will be bringing you regular updates.

Keep checking Time Out’s blog and dedicated film section for more movie news, reviews and release dates.